Highlander Moon
by timetracker2643
Summary: Duncan meets the Sailor Scouts for a strange adventure.
1. Chapter 1 - Enter the Highlander...

Bill Harris  
  
Soton@aol.com  
  
Highlander Moon  
  
Standard Questionably Useful Disclaimer:  
  
Sailor Moon and all related characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi;  
  
and are copyright to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Toei, DIC and  
  
whoever else.  
  
Highlander is owned and copyright to Davis Panzer Productions, Inc.  
  
This story (such as it is) is MINE!!!  
  
This fanfic is intended solely for entertainment purposes and no  
  
violation of said copyrights is intended or implied. Permission  
  
granted to copy this to other web pages as long as this disclaimer  
  
is attached, and the text of the story is unmodified.  
  
  
  
"He is immortal, born in the highlands of Scotland 400 years ago.  
  
He is not alone.  
  
There are others like him, some good, some evil.  
  
For centuries he has battled the forces of Darkness,  
  
with Holy Ground his only refuge.  
  
He cannot die - unless you take his head, and with it his power.  
  
In the end There Can Be Only One.  
  
He is Duncan MacLeod, The Highlander."  
  
-introduction monologue from seasons 2 and 3 of "Highlander"  
  
Timeline note: Takes place in the latter half of first season  
  
Sailor Moon (just before "The Past Returns"), and in the latter  
  
half of Highlander season two (just after "Unholy Alliance").  
  
London, England.  
  
The Watcher tugged at her coat collar, trying to shield herself  
  
just a little more against the chill of the foggy London night. She  
  
grumbled a bit at having to be out at this time of night, but drew  
  
comfort from the fact that it at least wasn't raining. She had nearly  
  
caught pneumonia on a similarly cold night several years ago... and on  
  
that occasion, it had been raining.  
  
Despite her discomfort, she mindful of her duties and kept her  
  
eyes firmly on the reason for her nocturnal excursion. Namely, the  
  
battle of steel that was being waged between the two Immortals. As  
  
others of their kind had done for millennia, the two were locked in  
  
mortal combat which would only end when one of the Immortals was  
  
decapitated. Soon after that, the Quickening would begin...  
  
Her vantage point afforded her an excellent view of the battle,  
  
even if it prevented her from hearing much of the dialogue between them. Which was a pity as she was curious as to the apparent history between  
  
the two. But her position did allow her to see the black hole coalesce  
  
before either Immortal. By the time it had fully formed, both Immortals  
  
had become aware of it as well. They all saw the figure, garbed in a  
  
gray uniform and sporting long white hair, materialize in front of it.  
  
Having spent years observing Immortals, she was used to seeing  
  
odd things. But this was out of the norm even for them. Immediately  
  
she began to move closer, hoping to get within earshot without being seen.  
  
It seemed to take forever, but she was able to get close enough to  
  
catch a few snatches of dialog, enough so she at least could hear the  
  
stranger's name. She wasn't sure why, but something about this Malachite  
  
gave her a bad feeling -- other than the fact that he just appeared out  
  
of thin air, that is.  
  
Her expression tightened into one of determination as she decided  
  
to avoid the usual Watcher channels. This was something that merited  
  
Dawson's immediate attention.  
  
Paris, France  
  
The car pulled up to the barge moored along the banks of the  
  
Seine. Soon after it had stopped, the driver exited and quickly deployed  
  
an umbrella against the downpour. Cursing both the weather and his need  
  
to be out in it, he made his way to the gangplank, leaning heavily on  
  
his cane.  
  
Inside, Duncan MacLeod looked up upon hearing a muffled thud over  
  
the drumming of the rain. At first he thought he might have imagined  
  
the sound, but when it was repeated he knew that he was about to have  
  
company. At least it wasn't another Immortal. Rather than wait for  
  
the inevitable knock on the door, he went over and opened it. Somehow  
  
he wasn't too surprised to see it was... "Dawson?" He moved to one side  
  
to allow the Watcher to enter, then closed the door against the rain.  
  
"I certainly didn't expect to see you."  
  
"Trust me, if it weren't important, I wouldn't be here on a night  
  
like this," he replied while placing the wet umbrella in an out of the  
  
way corner.  
  
At first glance, it would be easy to assume that Duncan was the  
  
younger of the pair, but that was far from the truth. While Duncan had  
  
the appearance of a man in his thirties, he was in fact nearly three  
  
and a half centuries older than Dawson. Given that Duncan was an  
  
Immortal, this was hardly unusual. He was centuries older than most of  
  
the people on the planet. But despite the differences in their ages,  
  
there was a factor that linked the two of them together -- Dawson was a  
  
Watcher, one of a secret society of mortals dedicated to observing and  
  
recording the affairs of Immortals. Dawson had been MacLeod's Watcher  
  
for many years, although MacLeod hadn't become aware of this or even  
  
his existence until a few months previously.  
  
"Somehow, I didn't think it was a social call," Duncan observed.  
  
"I'm afraid not," Dawson agreed. "Although I wish it were. After  
  
that business with Horton and Xavier, we both could use some time off."  
  
Duncan agreed with that. James Horton was a renegade Watcher who had  
  
decided that Immortals where a threat that had to be eliminated; while  
  
Xavier St. Cloud was a less than ethical Immortal Duncan had clashed with  
  
several times. The two of them had formed an unlikely alliance where  
  
Horton would use his extensive knowledge of Immortals to locate them and  
  
render them helpless, after which Xavier would kill them and take their  
  
Quickening. The affair had put a strain on the relationship between  
  
Dawson and MacLeod, but they had managed to get through it. Xavier was  
  
dead by MacLeod's hand; while Horton was presumed to be the same thanks  
  
to a well placed gunshot from Dawson. "Unfortunately, I just got word  
  
from a Watcher in London that makes me think that someone else is doing  
  
something similar."  
  
"What do I look like, a troubleshooter for the Watchers?" MacLeod  
  
grumbled. "Don't you have some way of keeping your people in line?"  
  
"Yes, and most of the time it works," Dawson replied defensively.  
  
"Besides, I said I got word from a Watcher about this, not that it  
  
involves a Watcher. What it does involve is someone using an Immortal  
  
to further their own ends, along with promising them help in winning  
  
the Game. It also involves a friend of yours." He paused, then  
  
added, "Actually, a couple of friends of yours."  
  
MacLeod felt an uneasy feeling form in the pit of his stomach.  
  
"Go on."  
  
"Like I said, the Watcher was in London," Dawson began. "She  
  
was observing a battle between two Immortals. Anyway, it was still a  
  
toss up who would lose their head when this white haired guy, dressed  
  
in some sort of grey uniform, complete with cape, just appeared out of  
  
thin air and hovered over them."  
  
"Hovering?" MacLeod looked skeptical to say the least. Or at  
  
least he tried to.  
  
Dawson wasn't buying it for a minute. "Don't start the 'Doubting  
  
Thomas' routine with me, MacLeod. I know you've seen stranger things  
  
in your time. Mina and her talking feline friend, for example."  
  
Duncan grimaced, but in truth he had half expected to find out  
  
that Dawson, or one of his Watcher compatriots, had observed his  
  
encounter with Sailor V earlier that year. "I see you found out about  
  
her."  
  
"Hey, I'm your Watcher," Dawson replied unapologetically. "It's  
  
my job to know these things. I got the report on your meeting with her  
  
a few days after we first met. But don't worry. Besides me, only one  
  
other Watcher knows about her, and she's not about to tell anybody. In  
  
fact, she's the same Watcher who observed this Malachite guy."  
  
"Malachite?"  
  
"Yeah," Dawson said. "That's what the guy in grey called himself.  
  
My Watcher wasn't able to get close enough to hear everything, but she  
  
got enough to know that this Malachite wanted to use one of the Immortals  
  
there to go after a group called the Sailor Scouts." Duncan felt his  
  
sense of unease grow. "Now, one of them is known as Sailor Venus, AKA  
  
Sailor V, AKA Mina Aino. So once I heard about this, I figured you'd  
  
want to know so you could warn her."  
  
"You're right about that. But you mentioned something about  
  
another friend..?"  
  
Dawson nodded. "The Watcher I heard this from was assigned to  
  
observe Marcus Kane."  
  
Duncan reacted sharply upon hearing this. "I didn't know he  
  
was in London. Of course, it's been a while since I've seen him."  
  
"Since 1943 to be exact," Dawson said, nodding. "But overall  
  
you've known him for almost three hundred years. But from what I heard,  
  
Malachite and Kane didn't take a liking to each other. Who knows, maybe  
  
they met once before in the past, before our organization got off the  
  
ground. He's been around long enough. Anyway, while my Watcher was  
  
getting closer, Malachite seemed to get angry at something Kane said,  
  
leveled a hand in his direction and then blasted him with some sort of  
  
dark energy beam." Duncan frowned, but didn't object to Dawson's  
  
statement. After all, he had seen Sailor V do something similar with  
  
her Crescent Beam attack, and this Malachite sounded like the type of  
  
enemy Mina had described to him. "Shortly afterwards, a dark glow  
  
surrounded the area. When it had faded; Malachite, Kane and the other  
  
Immortal were gone. Vanished into thin air."  
  
"Who was the other Immortal?"  
  
"Don't know that yet, " Dawson answered, his voice heavy with  
  
regret, "but we're working on it. The Watcher didn't know him by sight,  
  
but Kane seemed to. And from what she could tell, they weren't friends.  
  
I've got her looking through records of Kane's past encounters.  
  
Hopefully we'll get lucky."  
  
Duncan nodded as he grabbed his overnight bag and began packing  
  
it. "Good. Let me know the moment you find out anything. I'll also  
  
need any information you have on where Mina is, and who her friends are."  
  
"What makes you think I know that?" Dawson asked, feigning  
  
innocence.  
  
"Because you'd never tell me about all this if you didn't," Duncan  
  
replied evenly.  
  
Dawson smiled and shook his head. "Sometimes you can just be too  
  
damned smart for your own good. Well, you're right. I know where she  
  
is... Or at least where Sailor Venus has been seen." He reached into  
  
his jacket and pulled out a folder. Placing it onto the bar he  
  
continued, "This is all the information I have on where their assorted  
  
appearances in Tokyo, Japan. The Juuban district, specifically. But  
  
you'd better brace yourself when you read it. Some of this gets rather  
  
weird."  
  
Duncan couldn't help but smile at that. "You should have given me  
  
that warning about four hundred years ago."  
  
  
  
Chapter 1 - Enter the Highlander...  
  
Tokyo, Japan.  
  
Japan had changed quite a bit since the last time he had been  
  
there, Duncan reflected. Of course, given that had been nearly two  
  
hundred years since he had last set foot on these islands, that was to  
  
be expected.  
  
Pausing for a moment, Duncan looked over the map he had been able  
  
to pickup at the airport. Dawson's information hadn't been as specific  
  
as he might have liked, but it did pin manage to pin down the bulk of  
  
the Scouts' activities to the Juuban district. Unfortunately, it now  
  
came down to having a lot of luck in finding one girl, namely Mina, in  
  
an area this size.  
  
Luck... and a special bit of magic which should enable him to sense  
  
when she was nearby. He just hoped the other Immortal involved in this  
  
didn't know he could do this as well.  
  
Because if he did... then he could very well be too late.  
  
Serena gasped for breath and urged her legs to a faster gait as  
  
she continued her usual morning ritual -- trying desperately to get to  
  
school on time. And as she sometimes did, Luna followed closely behind  
  
her. Fortunately she didn't have to carry Serena's lunch with her this  
  
time.  
  
Usually this morning run ended up being an exercise in futility  
  
but today was different, as Serena actually stood a reasonable chance  
  
of arriving in time. Already they were nearing the last turn, then it  
  
would be a straight run to Crossroads Junior High. But just before  
  
Serena made that turn, both she and Luna heard a female voice cry "Watch  
  
out!", followed by the sounds of two people colliding.  
  
Now this was odd, Luna reflected. Usually the crash came *after*  
  
Serena rounded the corner, not before.  
  
"That sounded like Lita," Serena noted before she hurried around  
  
the corner. Sure enough, they both saw the tall Scout engaged in a  
  
heated argument with a man several centimeters taller than herself. The  
  
man's disheveled appearance gave confirmation as to the cause of the  
  
crashing sounds they had heard seconds before.  
  
Serena immediately rushed over to her friend, but Luna hung back,  
  
finding her attention focussed entirely on the man. There was something  
  
about him...  
  
"Hey, if you hadn't been staring off into space like that, you  
  
could have gotten out of the way!"  
  
"Well I wasn't the one who was barreling down the street trying to  
  
break the sound barrier!"  
  
"Of course I was running, I'm a little bit late today!"  
  
"You still should have watching where you were going!"  
  
"I was! I yelled "Look out!", didn't I?!?"  
  
MacLeod was readying a sharp retort when a blonde girl ran up to  
  
them. "Are you OK, Lita?" she asked the taller girl.  
  
"Is *she* OK?" MacLeod said, not believing his ears. Lita looked  
  
none the worse for the collision, but the Highlander was decidedly  
  
disheveled. Evidently she was a lot stronger than she appeared. "*I'm*  
  
the one she sent flying!"  
  
Lita was ready to renew the argument, but her friend put a  
  
restraining hand on her arm. "Come on, Lita. If we don't get going now,  
  
we're going to be majorly late. And I don't need another detention from  
  
Ms. H."  
  
"If we're late, the it's because of him," Lita grumbled before the  
  
two of them set off, leaving a fuming MacLeod behind.  
  
"Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" Lita asked Serena while  
  
they ran. "Saying that it was my fault!"  
  
"Are you sure you couldn't avoid him?" Serena asked reluctantly.  
  
"He was just standing there! He didn't even try to get out of the  
  
way!"  
  
"Maybe he didn't hear you in time," Serena ventured.  
  
"Maybe," Lita grudgingly admitted. They continued in silence for a  
  
bit. "You know, it's too bad that guy has such an attitude problem. He  
  
looked just like my old boyfriend."  
  
Serena groaned.  
  
Duncan watched them continue on their way for a bit, still fuming  
  
over the incident but slowly cooling off. In truth he had been looking  
  
around like a tourist when the girl plowed into him, but that was only  
  
because he had suddenly experienced the same odd feeling that had always  
  
preceded Mina's arrival during their encounter in London. It wasn't the  
  
same sensation he felt when he sensed another Immortal nearby, but it was  
  
very similar.  
  
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to spot Mina before the girl  
  
had plowed into him. Odd since he had always spotted he quite quickly  
  
in London...  
  
The realization struck him like a thunderbolt. It wasn't Mina's  
  
presence he had sensed, it must have been that tall girl. (What was it  
  
that other girl had called her? Lita?) Or perhaps it was her blonde  
  
friend that had approached seconds later.  
  
Or perhaps it had been both of them, Duncan thought gloomily.  
  
Dawson's information on their descriptions was sketchy, but both fit  
  
what details he had for a couple of the Scouts. "Smooth move, MacLeod,"  
  
he muttered to himself. "You just let a chance to contact the Scouts go  
  
right through your fingers."  
  
MacLeod had stooped down to retrieve his shoulder bag, which had  
  
been dislodged by the collision, when he noticed the black cat nearby.  
  
Ordinarily he wouldn't give this a second thought, but the cat had a  
  
crescent moon symbol on it's forehead, identical to the one Artemis had.  
  
This was too much of a coincidence. There had to be some connection  
  
between them. He took a couple of steps towards the feline. "Hey, you  
  
wouldn't happen..."  
  
The cat bolted before he could get any further, heading into the  
  
shadows of a nearby bush and was quickly lost to sight.  
  
"...to know another cat named Artemis," he concluded lamely under  
  
his breath. Sighing in frustration at another opportunity lost, Duncan  
  
scooped up his bag and continued on his way, ignoring the occasional  
  
stare from the other pedestrians.  
  
Things were definitely not getting off on the right foot.  
  
Concealed now within a nearby bush, Luna watched was the stranger  
  
searched fruitlessly for her before picking up his shoulder bag and  
  
continuing on his way. While he seemed friendly enough, she sensed  
  
something decidedly odd about the man. Odd as in otherworldly.  
  
She decided to follow him and find out what he was up to. He  
  
could very well be another threat from the Negaverse. If that were  
  
the case, she needed to find out about it ASAP so that she could alert  
  
the Scouts.  
  
But what really bothered her about this man was the feeling that  
  
she had known someone like him before... Perhaps even in the days of  
  
the Moon Kingdom.  
  
Queen Beryl sat upon her throne, the fingers of her right hand  
  
drumming a constant beat on the armrest. All around the room, the  
  
various spectators shifted uneasily.  
  
The monarch of the Negaverse was impatient. And when she got into  
  
these moods, someone usually ended up dying... or worse.  
  
After what seemed to be an interminable wait, she shouted,  
  
"Malachite!"  
  
Instantly, the last of the four Generals materialized in front of  
  
her. Malachite bowed low, "You summoned me, My Queen?"  
  
His deference to her failed to appease her mood. "I am most  
  
displeased with your lack of progress, Malachite. Your efforts to secure  
  
the Silver Crystal have been nothing but abysmal failures. After that  
  
debacle with Kirk and his starship, I came very close to having you  
  
executed. But lately you have been doing nothing to obtain the Silver  
  
Crystal. Explain yourself!"  
  
Beryl's threats appeared to have no effect on the general.  
  
Malachite seemed to be as cool and in control of himself as ever.  
  
"Actually, I have been working on a plan, My Queen."  
  
Beryl rested her chin in one hand and eyed him speculatively.  
  
"*Another* plan?" she said in a voice dripping with skepticism.  
  
"Yes. Our previous attempts relied on using youma, or a youma  
  
infused into a human. The Scouts have become too powerful for these  
  
standard tactics. I have come to the conclusion that we must find the  
  
right human to use against them."  
  
"And you have found such a human?" she asked, still leery.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And what makes this human so special?"  
  
"He is an Immortal, My Queen."  
  
Beryl immediately sat up straight, plainly astonished. "An  
  
Immortal? You mean they still exist?"  
  
"Yes, My Queen. The Gathering has yet to occur, and may not occur  
  
for centuries. The Sailor Scouts will find that an Immortal, infused  
  
with some of our power, will be unstoppable. They can only hope to slow  
  
him down. In time, he will wear them down and obtain the Silver Crystal  
  
for us."  
  
Minutes later, Malachite materialized inside an apartment in Tokyo.  
  
As they had agreed, his human agent was there waiting for his return.  
  
"Since you're still alive, I take it she approved of your plan?" the  
  
human asked.  
  
Malachite glanced over at the human, who had taken to lurking in  
  
the shadows of the room, with a look of barely concealed contempt. He  
  
hated having to work with a human, but the man possessed critical  
  
information about Immortals. By pure chance he had come across him only  
  
a few days before, when he had been desperately scouring the globe for  
  
any signs of Immortals. If he hadn't, he might still be searching for  
  
one. "Yes, Queen Beryl has approved the plan."  
  
"Just as well," the human responded. "I already sent him out onto  
  
the streets to search for our quarry."  
  
Malachite's eyes narrowed. "You were to do nothing until I had  
  
returned," he said with a dangerous undertone in his voice.  
  
"That would only have wasted time." The human seemed unfazed.  
  
"The sooner he finds Sailor Moon, the sooner we both get what we want.  
  
Just be sure that you remember our agreement when he does."  
  
"I keep my agreements," Malachite smoothly lied. "When I have  
  
the Silver Crystal, I will eliminate our tool, and the other Immortals.  
  
In the end, there will be none."  
  
'Not even you,' the general thought to himself.  
  
Luna heaved a sigh of exhaustion. The stranger had been moving  
  
all that day through Juuban as if possessed, barely pausing for rest.  
  
His first stop had been Crossroads, which he had scrutinized carefully  
  
before moving on. Over the next several hours, he had passed by  
  
virtually all the other junior high schools in this section of Tokyo,  
  
both public and private. At each one, he had carefully looked over  
  
the students that could be seen. It was as if he were looking for  
  
someone. Something told her that he was looking for one or more of  
  
the Scouts.  
  
But for now, it seemed that even this man had reached a physical  
  
limit. He had seated himself on a park bench and gave no indication that  
  
he was moving anytime soon. Satisfied that her quarry would remain her  
  
for now, Luna decided that it was time to find Serena and alert her and  
  
the others to this possible danger.  
  
She hadn't gone far when she spotted movement out of the corner of  
  
her eye. Whirling about, she then let out a sigh of relief. "Am I glad  
  
to see you."  
  
A white feline emerged from the shadows. "You mean you're actually  
  
glad to see me?" Artemis smiled smugly. "Of course, I knew you'd come  
  
around eventually..."  
  
"I see Mina is rubbing off on you," Luna interrupted crossly.  
  
"Get a grip, Artemis! While you've been lazing about all day, I've been  
  
busy looking into a new threat." With that she launched into a detailed  
  
account of the day's events, starting with the encounter with the  
  
stranger that morning.  
  
Artemis gave a cat-like frown as Luna concluded by describing  
  
the stranger. "Hmmm..."  
  
"What is it?" Luna asked, scowling. "Do you know him?"  
  
"Maybe," Artemis hedged. It sounded like MacLeod but... "It's hard  
  
to be sure without actually getting a look at him." Briefly he pondered  
  
on what could bring MacLeod all the way to Japan. He didn't seem the  
  
type to take vacations.  
  
"When I left him, he was sitting on a park bench over there," Luna  
  
told him, waving a paw towards the location she had left the stranger.  
  
"You go on and take a look at him. In the meantime, I'm going to find  
  
Serena."  
  
Artemis nodded and cautiously made his way in the direction Luna  
  
had pointed. After all, there was a chance Luna was right for a change.  
  
Even a broken clock was a delight twice a day.  
  
As soon as he had thought this, Artemis shuddered and mentally  
  
corrected himself -- a broken clock was *right* twice a day.  
  
Luna was right -- Mina *was* rubbing off on him.  
  
MacLeod tried to will his body to relax, at least as much as it  
  
could while sitting on a wooden park bench. In retrospect, he might have  
  
been better off finding a hotel room and getting a few hours sleep, but  
  
somehow he doubted he'd get much sleep until he contacted Mina. Better  
  
to make use of the time familiarizing himself with the local geography  
  
rather than tossing and turning.  
  
Hopefully he'd have better luck locating Mina this afternoon. His  
  
best chance might be to locate one of the two girls he had seen that  
  
morning and follow them. If he was right and they were Sailor Scouts,  
  
then they should lead him right to Mina before long. From the way his  
  
senses had reacted while he was in the vicinity, he guessed that one or  
  
both went to Crossroads Junior High School, not far from where he had...  
  
run into the tall girl. That both of them were in an obvious hurry to  
  
get to school (and that Crossroads was the closest one to that  
  
location) seemed to confirm his hypothesis.  
  
He had just started standing up when he felt something land on his shoulder. Instantly MacLeod's reflexes, honed by years of combat  
  
experience, kicked in and swept whatever it was off his shoulder towards  
  
the bench. He was settling himself into a defensive stance as a loud  
  
"Ow!" came from the bench. A white and very familiar cat lay on it's  
  
back on the bench, blinking painfully. "Artemis," Duncan sighed,  
  
relaxing his guard. "Well, I guess this disproves the myth about cats  
  
landing on their feet."  
  
"Very funny. I'm glad to see you too," the feline grumbled as he  
  
got back onto his paws. Rubbing his sore head, the cat eyed him. "So  
  
what brings you to Tokyo, Highlander?"  
  
"The same thing that brought me to London last time we met,"  
  
Duncan replied. "Trouble."  
  
Artemis rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. That's all we need."  
  
London, one year ago.  
  
Duncan eyed the darkened warehouse with some apprehension and  
  
allowed himself a moment of regret that he and Fitzcairn had decided to  
  
check out their respective leads separately. But only a moment. From  
  
what they had learned, their quarry seemed to be getting ready to  
  
relocate their operations to another part of England, or even another  
  
country altogether. If that happened, then the men who had killed  
  
Darius and several other Immortals might just get away scot free.  
  
The Highlander was determined to not let that happen.  
  
Once more he felt that odd feeling permeate his being, alerting him  
  
to her presence. Wishing once more that he knew what it meant, he  
  
turned around and was quick to spot the blonde girl, much to her  
  
amazement. "What the hell are you doing here?" he snapped.  
  
"The same thing you are, I expect," she shot back, recovering  
  
quickly. Mina was certain that she had concealed herself adequately and  
  
she was doubly certain that she hadn't made any noise in her approach.  
  
She wasn't sure how he had spotted her, but it appeared that Artemis was  
  
still unseen. Her white feline companion was well concealed behind the  
  
dumpster. "After all, Julian was my friend as well."  
  
Duncan could understand how she felt. He had known Julian for  
  
almost two hundred years before this group of mortals had killed him;  
  
just as they, or others like them, had killed Darius in Paris only a few  
  
days before. While he yearned to track down the killers and mete out his  
  
own brand of justice, he still had enough common sense about him to want  
  
to keep someone like Mina out of it. After all, he doubted she was more  
  
than thirteen. "Leave this to me, Mina. It's far too dangerous for you  
  
here. Go home. *Now.*"  
  
"Why should I leave it to you? You're no cop."  
  
"How do you know that?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I have my sources, MacLeod," she said, ignoring for a moment that  
  
most of her 'sources' happened to be a certain white feline. "So what's  
  
going on?"  
  
Duncan wavered on the edge of telling her, but ultimately thrust  
  
that notion aside. "It's a long story, Mina. For now, just take my word  
  
that this is too dangerous for you. These people I'm after are killers."  
  
"And you can handle them?"  
  
"I've done it before," he responded, casting a hurried gaze towards  
  
the warehouse. He wished he could make certain that Mina was leaving,  
  
but if his source was right, the Hunters inside wouldn't be there for  
  
long. "For now, just take my word that it's too dangerous for you to be  
  
here and go!" Giving her an initial shove, MacLeod watched her move off  
  
reluctantly before he headed for the warehouse entrance. The door was  
  
locked, but the Highlander made short work that obstacle, expertly  
  
picking the lock and opening the door.  
  
Moments later, Mina was back. "He went in?" she asked, eying the  
  
door.  
  
"About a minute or so ago," a voice responded. Turning, Mina  
  
saw Artemis emerging from his hiding place.  
  
"Artemis, you're filthy!" she noted, wrinkling her nose in  
  
disgust.  
  
"You try hiding around a garbage dumpster and see how clean you  
  
are afterwards," the cat retorted.  
  
"No thanks. One thing's for sure: once this is over, you're  
  
getting a bath!"  
  
"As long as you don't try and drown me like last time." Artemis  
  
ignored her squawk of protest, looking instead at the warehouse door.  
  
"Maybe we should let MacLeod try it his way first."  
  
"No way," Mina insisted. "I may be the Sailor Scout of love, but  
  
Sailor V fights for justice too."  
  
"Alright," Artemis reluctantly assented. "Just be careful."  
  
"What's the problem, Artemis? I thought curiosity thrilled the  
  
cat?"  
  
"Curiosity *killed* the cat," he corrected her once more,  
  
suppressing a shudder. "And that's one saying I can do without...  
  
mangled or otherwise."  
  
"Whatever. Come on, time's awasting." Not waiting for a response,  
  
Mina moved quickly to the door. MacLeod had closed it behind him, but  
  
it was still unlocked. Good, that saved her the trouble of picking it  
  
for herself. Taking care not to make a sound, she opened it slowly and  
  
moved in, Artemis racing in just ahead of her.  
  
The inside was nearly pitch dark, with only minimal light coming  
  
in from the windows. Mina felt her way along, trying both to figure out  
  
where Macleod had gone and to discover any sign of their quarry. Artemis  
  
kept close to her, using his more sensitive cat eyes to lead her through  
  
the maze of containers.  
  
They had managed to get some distance inside when Mina felt a hand  
  
clamp across her mouth and pull her backwards. "Just what do you think  
  
you're doing?" a very annoyed MacLeod hissed in her ear.  
  
Annoyed herself, Mina chose to respond with an action by bringing  
  
her left heel down hard on MacLeod's foot. He stifled a cry of pain, but  
  
he did let her go. She turned to face him, and they both glared at the  
  
other. "That wasn't very funny," she whispered harshly.  
  
"It wasn't meant to be," he retorted in a similar tone. "This  
  
isn't a game!"  
  
"I know that!"  
  
The argument might have continued for some time, but a loud yowl  
  
from Artemis brought it to a screeching halt. Glancing into the aisle,  
  
they saw the movement in the shadows. Mina whispered a silent thanks to  
  
her feline guardian for the warning and started looking a concealed spot  
  
to transform.  
  
Duncan evidently saw something close by, for he lashed out in a  
  
series of punch and kick combinations. The grunts of pain that  
  
accompanied each blow were a clear indication that his blows were scoring.  
  
No sooner had his foe ended up sprawled on the warehouse floor when a  
  
gunshot rang out and Duncan fell lifelessly to the floor.  
  
"Duncan!" Mina rushed over to him and frantically checked for a  
  
pulse.  
  
Nothing.  
  
The lights snapped on, causing her to blink at the sudden  
  
brightness. Turning, she saw two men in addition to the one Duncan had  
  
felled. Both were armed with semiautomatic pistols. "You killed him!"  
  
she said accusingly, concentrating her ire on the man with the smoking  
  
gun. "Why?"  
  
"Killed him? Not yet we haven't." Ignoring her puzzlement, the  
  
gunman turned to his fellow. "The other one should be somewhere nearby,  
  
if he isn't inside already. Check around for him. I'll finish things  
  
here."  
  
"Right," he responded and headed for the warehouse rear.  
  
Mina was still trying to figure out what he meant when he said  
  
they hadn't killed Duncan yet. She was certain she had done it right when  
  
she checked for his pulse, and found none. Plus, the bullet wound in  
  
Duncan's chest seemed to be right over his heart. There was no way  
  
anyone could survive that. "What did you mean? she asked, rising to her  
  
feet and facing the gunman.  
  
In return, he scrutinized her carefully before he answered. "Either  
  
you really don't know, or a very good actor."  
  
"Know what?!?"  
  
"What he is!" he exclaimed harshly, gesturing at MacLeod. "An  
  
abomination, a freak of nature! By all rights, he and his ilk shouldn't  
  
exist! Unless we destroy them first, they will dominate us."  
  
Mina stared at him throughout his rant. When he paused, she stated  
  
flatly, "You're nuts."  
  
"I'll leave that for history to decide," he replied calmly. "Right  
  
now, I have to decide what to do with you."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"From our observations, of MacLeod and your mutual friend Julian,  
  
I'm beginning to think you're one of their kind. But there's a way to  
  
test that." He leveled the gun at her. "And if by some chance I'm  
  
mistaken... Well, you have my most sincere apologies."  
  
He never got the chance, for Artemis chose that moment to act.  
  
Leaping mightily, he tore at the gunman's face, hissing and clawing.  
  
The gunman cried out in pain, trying to dislodge the white cat from his  
  
face. Mina was quick to take advantage of this distraction, immediately  
  
triggering the transformation process.  
  
Meanwhile, MacLeod gasped and started to sit up as he revived...  
  
and paused in wonder when he beheld the sight of Mina transforming from  
  
teenager to Sailor V. 'I knew there was something special about her,'  
  
he thought, 'but I never dreamed anything like this.'  
  
The gunman finally managed to get Artemis away from himself.  
  
"I knew there was a reason I hated cats," he said. "Someone ought to  
  
put you out of my misery."  
  
"Hold it right there!"  
  
"Who..?" The gunman turned and gaped when he saw Sailor V standing  
  
atop a nearby crate.  
  
"Here to avenge those innocents you've murdered, I am the champion  
  
of love and justice Sailor V! While justice may be deaf, I certainly am  
  
not!"  
  
"Justice is *blind*, not deaf!" MacLeod heard somebody (the cat?)  
  
mutter.  
  
"Close enough," Sailor V retorted before returning her attention  
  
to the Hunter. "Anyway, in the name of justice, I'll punish you!"  
  
It wasn't the same way MacLeod would enter a battle, but it seemed  
  
to cause the Hunter to pause for a split second. It might have even  
  
been enough, except that MacLeod saw the Hunter he had disabled earlier  
  
moving again, raising his gun up towards Sailor V. He scrambled to his  
  
feet himself and cried out a warning as he charged the second Hunter.  
  
Sailor V spun around after hearing the warning, and now it was her  
  
turn to be amazed. "Duncan?" she asked, unable to believe that she was  
  
seeing MacLeod up and fighting. She had been certain beyond a shadow  
  
of a doubt that he had been dead.  
  
Fortunately, she didn't stare at him for long. Some sixth sense  
  
warned her of danger (Artemis biting the leader's ankle, causing him to  
  
yell), and she turned back to face the leader again. Sure enough, he  
  
was aiming right at her. Reacting quickly, she pointed right at him.  
  
Shouting "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!", she sent the beam of light right  
  
down the muzzle in the same instant as the gunman pulled the trigger.  
  
The firearm exploded in his hand, and he fell to the ground with a cry  
  
of pain.  
  
Unfortunately, he fell right on top poor Artemis.  
  
The immediate threat dealt with, Sailor V turned back. She was  
  
ready to help MacLeod with his foe, but it was unnecessary. The Hunter  
  
was still groggy from his previous encounter with the Highlander and  
  
MacLeod was by far more skilled in hand to hand combat. Within seconds  
  
the Hunter was sprawled on the floor, once more unconscious.  
  
The battle over for the moment, the Immortal and the Sailor Scout  
  
looked silently at the other. Eventually, it was Sailor V who broke  
  
the silence by asking, "Who are you, Duncan? Tell me who you really  
  
are."  
  
Duncan hesitated briefly. He could try to evade answering that  
  
question as he had done time and again, but this occasion felt different.  
  
Each of them now knew some secret the other kept close. He might as well  
  
tell her everything. "I am Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod. I was  
  
born in the highlands of Scotland in 1592. And I am Immortal."  
  
  
  
Tokyo, present day.  
  
"Trouble was a bit of an understatement about last time," Artemis  
  
told MacLeod. "Is there any chance time will be different?"  
  
"Yeah," MacLeod said. "This time will be worse."  
  
"Why am I not surprised?" Artemis muttered. "OK, I'll bite.  
  
What's up?"  
  
"There's an Immortal being sent after the Scouts. By someone  
  
named Malachite." MacLeod couldn't miss the expression of shock on the  
  
cat's face. "I take it you know him."  
  
"Not by choice," the cat noted glumly.  
  
"You can tell me all about it later. For all we know, the Immortal  
  
may have been around here long before me... and be ready to target one  
  
of them."  
  
"Fortunately, the Scouts are just about to have a meeting,"  
  
Artemis replied. "I can take you right there."  
  
"What about Sailor Moon? From what I heard, she's going to be the  
  
main target."  
  
"What else is new? Anyway, Luna went looking for her."  
  
Luna had in fact managed to find Serena, much sooner than she had  
  
thought possible. The blonde was sitting on a park bench not all that  
  
far from where Artemis was talking to MacLeod. "Am I glad I found you  
  
Serena," Luna began as she approached, "I've been following that man  
  
Lita ran into this morning. I think..." Her voice trailed off as  
  
Serena gave no indication she had heard her. Concerned, Luna maneuvered  
  
to get a better look at Serena's face and quickly noted that she seemed  
  
decidedly glum. Also, she kept staring morosely at a piece of badly  
  
wrinkled paper. Leaping deftly onto the bench back, Luna took a good  
  
look for herself. "Oh, dear."  
  
It was Serena's latest math test. Heavily marked in red, as usual.  
  
"I can't believe I only got a forty," Serena muttered, finally  
  
showing signs of life. "Mom's gonna have a fit."  
  
"Well, it would have helped if you had studied for it in advance,"  
  
Luna chided her gently.  
  
"I did study, Luna," she protested strenuously. "Real hard, too!"  
  
"I would hardly call glancing through your math book for half an  
  
hour 'studying real hard', Serena."  
  
That earned her a sharp glare from Serena. "You're no help,  
  
Luna."  
  
"I'm trying to help to you, Serena. But there is very little I  
  
can do if you don't listen to me." Luna mentally put the brakes on her  
  
lecture mode. There would be time for that later. Right now, she had  
  
more pressing business with Serena. "But we'll discuss that another  
  
time. We have urgent matters to discuss."  
  
Something in Luna's tone got Serena's attention. "What's up,  
  
Luna?"  
  
"Do you remember that man Lita ran into this morning?" After  
  
Serena nodded, Luna launched into an account of her surveillance of the  
  
stranger. As she continued, a doubtful expression formed on Serena's  
  
face.  
  
"Somehow Luna, I think we've been down this road before," Serena  
  
said when Luna had finished.  
  
"We'll just see what Artemis has to say about it. He thinks he  
  
may know this man. Besides, there's no harm in being prepared." Luna  
  
was about to go on but a man came walking down the path at that moment,  
  
forcing her to stop talking. She waited patiently for him to walk by,  
  
but a sense of foreboding slowly filled her being as he approached. It  
  
was the same feeling she had from the stranger that morning except that  
  
this time the hairs on the nape of her neck were starting to stand on  
  
end. It only grew worse when the man stopped near Serena, turned to  
  
looked hard at her and then smiled.  
  
It was a mirthless smile, Luna noted.  
  
Both cat and Immortal looked up sharply as a cry echoed through  
  
the park. "That sounded like Serena!" Artemis exclaimed.  
  
"That's one of Mina's friends?" MacLeod asked, already reaching  
  
beneath his jacket.  
  
"Yes," Artemis replied, nodding for emphasis. Although he kept a  
  
close eye on MacLeod, he was still unable to see how he had managed to  
  
hide that katana of his underneath his jacket. Artemis just shook his  
  
head, deciding that may be one of those mysteries of the universe that  
  
can never be solved.  
  
"You find Mina and the others," MacLeod instructed him. "I'll go  
  
ahead and see what I can do to help." Not waiting for Artemis to  
  
respond, the Highlander hurried off, katana in hand.  
  
Serena scrambled to keep the bench in between herself and her  
  
assailant, but she still had to worry about ducking each slash of his  
  
sword. So rapid was the pace of his attack that she had no opportunity  
  
to even think about transforming. "What are you doing?" she asked,  
  
trying to buy time. "What do you want?"  
  
He didn't slow down his attack, but answered her nevertheless.  
  
"What I want is the Silver Crystal."  
  
"Well, there are nicer ways to get it," she retorted. "Besides,  
  
what makes you think *I* have the Silver Crystal? And watch the hair!"  
  
she added, as the last swing of the sword slice the end of one of her  
  
ponytails.  
  
"Sorry, I was aiming for your neck," he said conversationally.  
  
"As for your other question... I know your one of the Sailor Scouts.  
  
I sensed it when I walked by you. Even if you're not Sailor Moon,  
  
attacking you should bring her here quick enough. So..." He brought  
  
his sword up for another slash, but suddenly stiffened when it was at  
  
it's apex and he started looking about as if he were expecting someone  
  
to show up.  
  
In the same instant, both Serena and Luna saw a man come into view  
  
nearby, heading right for their location. Both recognized him from  
  
earlier in the day, but Serena wasn't sure whether to be relieved or  
  
worried when she saw the katana he was carrying. For her part, Luna  
  
was filled with trepidation. 'Not him again.' But her worry was  
  
transformed into puzzlement when he started to confront the swordsman,  
  
slowly walking about him to place himself between the attacker and  
  
Serena.  
  
The swordsman eyed the newcomer intently. "I don't believe we've  
  
met," he said in a calm voice.  
  
"I am Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod."  
  
Serena took advantage of the distraction created by MacLeod's  
  
arrival and retreated out of their sight. It appeared Luna had been  
  
half right -- there was something odd about MacLeod, but it seemed he  
  
might be an ally instead of the enemy the cat had feared. Well  
  
whatever was going on, she wasn't going to find out just standing here.  
  
She thrust her hand skyward. "MOON PRISM POWER!"  
  
"I am Philip Mornay," the swordsman said. "I've heard of you  
  
MacLeod."  
  
"I can't say the same," MacLeod retorted. Although MacLeod  
  
tried to keep track of the girl out of the corner of his eye, the need  
  
for him to keep an eye on Mornay meant that he had lost her when she went  
  
into the nearby trees. Thus it was that neither Immortal saw the glow of  
  
light emerging from behind those trees.  
  
Mornay smiled. "Well, anonymity has it's advantages. But what  
  
are you doing here? You a bit far afield from your usual territory."  
  
"What does it look like?" MacLeod started circling around  
  
Mornay, careful to keep his sword at the ready.  
  
"It looks like you're interfering in my affairs, Highlander. I  
  
suggest you stay out of them."  
  
MacLeod snorted. "I know about the deal you made with Malachite."  
  
Mornay's face was stoic but his eyes betrayed surprise at this statement.  
  
"The only way you're going to get at the Sailor Scouts is through me."  
  
"If you want to die today, who am I to stop you?" Mornay raised  
  
his blade up into a defensive posture.  
  
MacLeod stopped his circling maneuver and did likewise. "If  
  
anyone's dying today, it's going to be you." They eyed each other for  
  
a moment, but before either Immortal could act...  
  
"Hold it right there!"a voice rang out and both men turned towards  
  
it. Sailor Moon was standing at the edge of the clearing. "I am the  
  
champion of love and justice Sailor Moon! I right wrongs and triumph over  
  
evil. And that means you." She looked between the two Immortals. "Well,  
  
at least one of you anyway."  
  
  
  
Next time: MacLeod and Sailor Moon face off against Mornay.  
  
  
  
A short explanation of some of the terms used here, for those that  
  
are unfamiliar with the "Highlander" TV series:  
  
Immortals - ageless beings who can die (permanently, that is) only  
  
by decapitation. Any wounds an Immortal suffers will heal within a matter  
  
of seconds (or minutes, depending on the severity). Immortals are born  
  
and age as mortals do, until their First Death. Then they are frozen at  
  
that age forever. They can also sense when another Immortal is nearby,  
  
although they can't tell precisely where the other Immortal is.  
  
The Quickening - this is the life essence of the Immortal and it  
  
also is the process by which an Immortal absorbs the life essence and power  
  
of the Immortal he/she has killed. Physically it manifests as an outburst  
  
of lightning and other pyrotechnics. Any electrical equipment nearby  
  
takes a beating.  
  
The Game - the way of life for Immortals, it governs the way  
  
they face each other.  
  
The Rules:  
  
1. No beheading on Holy Ground. This can have nasty  
  
consequences.  
  
2. All fights are one on one.  
  
3. No outside interference from mortals either.  
  
4. In The End, There Can Be Only One.  
  
Some Immortals have been seen playing fast and loose with 3,  
  
but the rules hold for the most part in all Immortal combat.  
  
The Gathering - This is supposed to be the final battle of the  
  
Immortals. At some indeterminate point in the future, they will feel  
  
called to some far off land, and those who are still alive will battle  
  
on another... until, in the end, only one remains. That one gains the  
  
Prize. What the Prize actually is (especially in the series) is still  
  
not quite clear.  
  
Duncan MacLeod - born into the clan MacLeod in 1592 in the  
  
Highlands of Scotland. Since being driven out of his clan, he has  
  
wandered the Earth, constantly training himself and preparing for the  
  
Gathering. Duncan lives by a strict code of honor  
  
Duncan is the main character of the Highlander TV series.  
  
Watchers - this is an organization of mortals. They're sworn to  
  
only observe and record the activities of Immortals and never interfere,  
  
but some are known to do so now and then. Some have even gone so far  
  
as decide that Immortals are inherently evil and should be eliminated.  
  
These renegade Watchers are termed Hunters.  
  
Joe Dawson - One of the more important Watchers. Years ago he fought in Vietnam, and lost his legs when he stepped on a land mine. He is Duncan's Watcher, but over the course of the series he has also become his friend as well. 


	2. Chapter 2 - Unholy Alliance, Take Two

Highlander Moon  
  
by  
  
Bill Harris  
  
Soton@aol.com  
  
  
  
Chapter 2 - Unholy Alliance, Take Two  
  
Sailor Moon's sudden appearance was distracting, but MacLeod tried  
  
to keep on eye on Mornay nevertheless. "Glad to know you're not lumping  
  
me in with him," he muttered, glancing back quickly at Sailor Moon. She  
  
might have been the girl Mornay had been menacing when MacLeod had come  
  
on the scene, but he couldn't prove it by looking at her. Of course, it  
  
had been the same with Mina back in London, so it wasn't surprising. He  
  
turned back to face Mornay, but still directed his next statement to  
  
Sailor Moon. "Just keep out of the way. I'll handle him."  
  
"Are you nuts?" she replied. "I don't know who you are, but this  
  
clown is definitely bad news. If you're one of the good guys, you should  
  
let me help you!" To emphasize her point, she jumped beside MacLeod,  
  
facing Mornay.  
  
MacLeod took her by one arm and tried to drag her behind him,  
  
which proved to be tougher than he thought. "Do me a favor and stay out  
  
of it. This is just something I have to do myself."  
  
Mornay watched with interest as Sailor Moon objected vocally to MacLeod's treatment of her. While there wasn't an opportunity for him  
  
to strike during this altercation, he did have other options. And with  
  
MacLeod's unexpected involvement, he decided it was time to exercise  
  
them.  
  
MacLeod took a deep breath and tried to put a rein in his temper.  
  
This was threatening to get as out of control as his argument with Lita  
  
that morning, which was something he could ill afford at the moment. He  
  
wished he could explain to her about the Rules of the Game; specifically  
  
in this case that all Immortal conflicts were one on one affairs; but  
  
this was definitely not the time nor the place. Not now, when he was toe  
  
to toe with another Immortal. "Look, I'll explain everything later. For  
  
now, just let me do this myself. If you want to watch, fine, but stay  
  
out of it. There's no need for you to get involved."  
  
Sailor Moon failed to be mollified by his words. "As if! I was  
  
involved the mome..." She paused in midsentence and her eyes went wide.  
  
"YIKES!"  
  
Immediately upon her startled yelp, MacLeod spun about, returning  
  
his full attention to Mornay. His jaw dropped, as did his sword, as he  
  
found himself taken aback. "What the hell...?" He had seen many things  
  
in his lifetime, but never in four hundred years had he seen anything  
  
like this. Mornay's form was flowing and shifting, increasing his  
  
height by at least six inches. His skin started taking on a reptilian  
  
tone as well, complete with scales and it gleamed like armor. MacLeod  
  
had the sinking feeling that Mornay's transformation went far more than  
  
skin deep. "Then again, maybe I could use a hand."  
  
"Mina!"  
  
The blonde whirled about immediately upon hearing her name being  
  
called. But she didn't need to see the source to know who it was.  
  
"Artemis! What's wrong?" A smile came to her face. "Is Luna after  
  
your hide again?"  
  
Artemis' face wrinkled in distaste at her timing. "Give me a  
  
break, Mina. This is serious!"  
  
"OK, OK. So what's up?"  
  
"Duncan MacLeod's in town, for one. I bumped into him at the  
  
park."  
  
"Duncan? But what's he..."  
  
"That's not the important thing right now," Artemis interrupted  
  
her hurriedly. "There's some sort of trouble going on in the park, and  
  
we think Serena might be in the middle of it. There could also..."  
  
"What?!?" Mina exclaimed, interrupting him in turn. "Why didn't  
  
you say so?" With a flourish, she produced her transformation wand and  
  
raised it skyward. "VENUS POWER!"  
  
Mornay attacked first, charging headlong at MacLeod. He was able  
  
to evade Mornay's wild swing and tried to return the blow, but Mornay  
  
was far faster than he anticipated. The mutated Immortal easily blocked  
  
his counter, parrying with such force that MacLeod's katana went flying.  
  
The next thing MacLeod knew, Mornay had picked him up bodily and then  
  
threw him with enough force that he slammed hard against a tree, shaking  
  
it violently. A sharp pain in MacLeod's side caused him to gasp and he  
  
knew that at least two of his ribs were broken. He tried to stagger to  
  
his feet, glancing to see where his katana had gone.  
  
Satisfied that MacLeod was out of the way for the moment, Mornay  
  
turned his attention to Sailor Moon. "Now, Sailor Moon, just give me  
  
the Silver Crystal and I'll make this easy for you."  
  
"The Silver Crystal is right here!" she replied, brandishing the  
  
Moon Wand. "But there's no way I'm giving it to you."  
  
"Then I'll take it!"  
  
"I've got a better idea -- we can use it to get rid of those  
  
bad Negaverse influences in you." She lifted the Moon Wand upwards and  
  
began, "MOON HEALING..."  
  
Mornay made a rather prodigious leap and grabbed the Moon Wand  
  
before she could finish. "I don't think so. I *like* being this way!  
  
It gives me power... power enough that I can win the Game and be the  
  
last Immortal. Now give me that crystal!" As he said the last, he  
  
tried to wrest the Moon Wand from Sailor Moon's grasp.  
  
To her credit, Sailor Moon hung on to the wand for all she was  
  
worth. "Forget it!"  
  
Mornay dropped his sword and used his free hand to grab Sailor  
  
Moon by the throat. "Let it go or die!" he snarled.  
  
"Are you sure there isn't some middle ground here?"  
  
Mornay snarled, but before he could reply... "VENUS CRESCENT  
  
BEAM SMASH!"  
  
A brilliant beam of light shot over Sailor Moon's shoulder and  
  
struck Mornay full in the chest. He stumbled backwards, fell to the  
  
ground and lay there unmoving.  
  
Sailor Venus ran up to Sailor Moon. "Are you OK, Sailor Moon?"  
  
"Yep," she answered. "Thanks for the save, Venus."  
  
Venus just smiled in answer and flashed her the "V for Victory"  
  
sign. Then, satisfied that Sailor Moon was in good shape, she glanced  
  
over at MacLeod. "You OK, Duncan?"  
  
MacLeod was still shaky, but he had managed to stagger over to  
  
where his sword had landed. "I'll live, but... BEHIND YOU!"  
  
Reacting to MacLeod's warning purely on instinct, Sailor Moon and  
  
Sailor Venus both dodged left, managing to avoid Mornay's charge.  
  
Instead of striking either of the Scouts, his blade hit a tree instead  
  
and clove right through the foot thick trunk.  
  
"Great, he must be an Immortal too," Venus said as they watched the  
  
tree crash to the ground.  
  
"Immortal?" asked a very confused Sailor Moon.  
  
"More than an Immortal," Mornay sneered. With a flamboyant  
  
gesture, he swept his free hand in their direction. Two dark energy  
  
globes leapt from his hand and struck them both, effectively restraining  
  
them. "As I've just demonstrated."  
  
MacLeod grabbed his sword and moved as best he could towards  
  
Mornay, even as the other Immortal stalked over to the two Scouts. He  
  
wouldn't be able to do much in his current condition, but he only knew  
  
he had to try.  
  
"Time to end this," Mornay said, standing by Sailor Moon. He  
  
raised his sword high, ready to strike the final blow...  
  
"MARS FIRE IGNITE!"  
  
...and was struck full in the face by a ball of flame. Stunned,  
  
Mornay staggered backwards from the blast.  
  
Sailor Moon looked up and was elated. Sailor Mars had arrived,  
  
Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury flanking her. "You're here!" Then  
  
she added in mock annoyance, "It's about time, too!"  
  
"Look who's talking about other people being late," Mars retorted.  
  
"Later, you two," Mercury said. "Right now we've got other  
  
worries."  
  
"You can say that again," Mornay sneered. Though scorched in  
  
the face, he seemed otherwise unfazed. He gathered himself to charge at  
  
the Scouts.  
  
"Quick, use the Moon Wand, Sailor Moon!" Mars said.  
  
"I'd like to do that, Mars, but I'm a little tied up at the  
  
moment."  
  
"Not for long," Mars noted. A spirit ward appeared in her hand.  
  
"I'll have you both out of those in a jiffy."  
  
"And we'll keep him occupied until you do," Mercury said.  
  
"Right, Jupiter?"  
  
The tall Scout nodded as she readied herself. "Right!"  
  
"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"  
  
In an instant, the battlefield was enshrouded in a thick layer  
  
of fog. His targets suddenly hidden in the mist, Mornay looked about to  
  
find them in confusion. MacLeod was quick to take advantage of this  
  
opportunity. Ignoring the pain from his still-healing ribs, he stepped  
  
just behind the other Immortal and swung his sword as hard as he could,  
  
aiming for Mornay's neck. The blade struck home, but the results was  
  
anything other than what he expected. Instead of cleaving clean through  
  
Mornay's neck, somehow the toughness of his altered form prevented the  
  
blade from penetrating more than a centimeter. Still, he howled in pain  
  
from the blow.  
  
In the same instant that he struck, MacLeod heard "JUPITER  
  
THUNDER... CRASH!" In the next instant, he felt a surge of electricity  
  
throughout his body as the electricity of Jupiter's attack was conducted  
  
right through the katana and into him. The Highlander jerked  
  
spasmodically then fell lifelessly to the ground.  
  
Mornay held a hand to his neck, hissing at the pain of his  
  
various wounds. Given his injuries and the fatigue he was now feeling  
  
from the combat, retreat seemed to be the better part of valor at the  
  
moment. "We'll finish this later, Sailor Moon," he said, vanishing into  
  
a puff of smoke. The fog vanished seconds later, leaving only MacLeod's  
  
still form on the ground.  
  
The Scouts ran up to him, four of them showing expressions of  
  
grave concern. "Is he badly hurt?" Sailor Moon asked anxiously while  
  
Mercury scanned him to determine the extent of his injuries.  
  
"I doubt it," Venus answered. "After all, his head is still  
  
attached to the rest of him."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" a puzzled Sailor Moon asked.  
  
"You see, he's..."  
  
"Dead." Four sets of eyes turned to look at Mercury at this, three  
  
of them with varying degrees of shock in them while Venus looked annoyed  
  
at being interrupted. "I'm not detecting any signs of life within him.  
  
No heartbeat, respiration or even any brainwave activity at all." She  
  
closed her computer slowly. "I'm afraid he's dead."  
  
"I killed him?" Jupiter asked quietly, looking as if she were about  
  
to burst into tears.  
  
"It was an accident, Jupiter," Mars said. "You couldn't know that  
  
he was going to use that sword right then."  
  
"Besides, you didn't kill him," Venus insisted. "Give him a  
  
couple of minutes and he'll be fine."  
  
Mercury knew that Venus could be flighty at times, but this was  
  
pushing it even for her. "Venus, the man is dead. Despite what you  
  
may think, he's not going to start breathing and sit right up."  
  
At that moment, MacLeod gasped for breath and sat up.  
  
Four of the Scouts gasped and jumped backwards several paces.  
  
However, Venus simply displayed a knowing smile. "He does." She reached  
  
out to give MacLeod a hand up. "Welcome back from the dead, Duncan  
  
MacLeod of the clan MacLeod."  
  
"Thanks," he answered. He looked around, but saw no sign of  
  
Mornay anywhere. "Did I miss much?"  
  
"Not really," Venus said. The others were still too busy staring  
  
at MacLeod in open-mouthed shock to say anything. "Just the bad guy  
  
pulling a vanishing act. You didn't tell me you guys could do that."  
  
A note of irritation crept into her last statement.  
  
"That's because we can't," MacLeod answered. He got back to his  
  
feet, flexing his hands as he did so. With the exception of a slight  
  
tingling in his fingers, it seemed that the various injuries he had  
  
received during the battle had healed themselves. "Just like we can't  
  
change into half man, half lizard forms."  
  
"This is impossible!" Mercury had finally managed to gather enough  
  
of her wits to speak. "There were no life signs whatsoever! None!  
  
I'd stake my computer on it!"  
  
"You weren't wrong," MacLeod answered her. "I was dead."  
  
Mercury seemed even more confused now. "But how...?"  
  
"I'd be happy to answer your questions, but I don't think we  
  
should do it here." MacLeod looked around. Nobody had come around yet,  
  
but with all the noise the battle had generated, there were bound to be  
  
onlookers soon enough. If there wasn't one already, he thought. "Do you  
  
have someplace we can talk privately?"  
  
"No problem," Venus answered. "Just follow us."  
  
"You're four hundred years old?" Lita asked. MacLeod wasn't  
  
surprised to hear the skepticism in her voice. He encountered that every  
  
time he told someone about his immortality.  
  
"Just turned four hundred this year," he said casually.  
  
"Wow, that must have been some birthday cake," Serena observed,  
  
prompting an irritated glare from Raye.  
  
From his position in the temple courtyard, MacLeod watched the  
  
squabble Serena's comment had provoked with some amusement, idly  
  
wondering just what he had gotten himself into.  
  
It had been a bit of a struggle getting to this point. With the  
  
exception of Mina, the girls had been understandably reluctant to reveal  
  
their identities to MacLeod. However, Mina pointed out that MacLeod had  
  
known of her identity as Sailor V for several months and hadn't revealed  
  
it to anyone, and he had come to Sailor Moon's aid.  
  
Serena had been the first to agree with Mina, reversing the  
  
transformation process and the others soon followed suit. From there  
  
they went back to the temple, where MacLeod began his explanations of  
  
what Immortals were... And what it was that brought him to Japan.  
  
Luna had been silently listening to all of MacLeod's explanations.  
  
She had already known about Immortals, but it was a good idea to make  
  
sure her memory in this area was still accurate. As a lull in the nearby  
  
commotion developed, she shook her head. "I should have known it the  
  
moment I saw him," Luna muttered before glaring accusingly at Artemis.  
  
"You never told me you had encountered Immortals since we revived."  
  
"Um.... well, you never asked," he replied lamely.  
  
Luna's potential tirade was interrupted by Serena. "Wait a  
  
second, Luna. You mean you two have met Immortals before?"  
  
"Of course, Serena. Immortals have been around for thousands of  
  
years, long before the fall of the Moon Kingdom... perhaps even before  
  
it began. One in particular traveled there on many occasions. I  
  
understand that he and Queen Serenity were good friends."  
  
The Silver Millennium - shortly before Queen Beryl's attack  
  
Luna grumbled as she continued through the palace hallway. "Ask a  
  
simple question of them, get an enigma for an answer. 'Excuse me, do  
  
you know where Methos is?' 'He has always been here.' Vorlons!" She  
  
glanced over at a nearby alcove and, seeing nothing there, continued on  
  
her way.  
  
"Hello, Luna," said a calm voice. Startled, she stopped suddenly;  
  
then looked sharply at the alcove she had just passed. Sure enough, he  
  
was standing in the shadows. "Looking for someone?"  
  
"Don't do that!" she snapped irritably. "You nearly gave me a  
  
heart attack!"  
  
Methos stepped out from concealing shadows of the alcove. "Sorry.  
  
But I am trying to go about unseen."  
  
"I know," she said with a sigh. "It wouldn't do for you to be  
  
found. Not with the order..."  
  
"I know about the order," the Immortal said, interrupting her.  
  
"And I can understand why all Terrans are to be expelled. But, even  
  
though I intend to go back, I had to remain here long enough to say  
  
goodbye."  
  
"I know," Luna said again. "And so does Queen Serenity. She sent  
  
me to find you, Methos."  
  
The Immortal chuckled softly. "You two know me too damned well.  
  
Very well, Luna, lead on."  
  
Luna turned around and led him the Queen's chambers, careful to  
  
avoid the guard patrols. Eventually, they came to the doors and  
  
entered. Serenity was on the balcony, gazing at the full Earth above.  
  
"Your Majesty?" Luna spoke up. Serenity turned at the sound of her  
  
voice. "I found him."  
  
"Thank you, Luna," the Queen answered. "Please, stay," she added  
  
when the cat started to leave. Luna instead sat down by the door.  
  
"I'm glad to see you again, old friend," Serenity said.  
  
"Old is a relative term for me," Methos answered. He looked  
  
worriedly up at the Earth. "Will she attack soon?"  
  
"Very likely," Serenity replied. "And the timing couldn't be  
  
worse. I've had a report from the Outer Scouts that the Shadows have  
  
mounted an attack on the perimeter defenses."  
  
"Somehow I doubt that it's a coincidence," Methos observed.  
  
"I agree. For the sake of morale, we're trying to keep up the  
  
appearance of normality. But with all that's going on, I'm afraid  
  
there'll be much tension at tomorrow's ball."  
  
"Not for everyone," Methos replied obliquely. Serenity looked  
  
sharply at him, but he kept his face as bland as ever.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Methos only chose to reply by  
  
shrugging. "Methos!"  
  
"I don't tell you *all* my secrets," he said defensively.  
  
She eyed him speculatively. "Sometimes I think you are made of  
  
secrets. For example, I've known you for centuries and I still don't  
  
know how old you really are."  
  
Methos smiled. "Don't you lie about your age sometimes?"  
  
"Maybe. But I have the white hair to belie an obvious lie."  
  
She smiled herself, answering his. "That's one worry you'll never have."  
  
His expression turned more serious. "At least you can have  
  
children."  
  
Her own smiled vanished, and she gently touched his face. "I'm  
  
sorry, old friend. I didn't mean to touch on an old wound."  
  
"It's something I've gotten used to," he replied offhandedly. He  
  
took her hand and held it gently in his own. "I'd better be going.  
  
Your guards are understandably touchy these days... and I believe the  
  
last ship back to Earth is leaving soon."  
  
"Yes. Yes, it is." Serenity look to the doorway. "Luna..?"  
  
The black cat came out of the shadows. "I'll make sure he get  
  
there, You Majesty."  
  
""Thank you , Luna."  
  
Methos walked to the door, then stopped and turned back to her.  
  
"Goodbye Serenity."  
  
"Goodbye, Methos. I hope we will meet again." A sad smile came  
  
to her face. "If not here... then in the place where no shadows fall."  
  
Tokyo, present day.  
  
"Luna? Earth to Luna, come in Luna." Serena waved a hand in  
  
front of the cat's eyes.  
  
Startled back to reality, the cat blinked. "I'm sorry, Serena.  
  
I was just... remembering."  
  
Serena raised one eyebrow. "Anything you'd care to share with  
  
the rest of us?"  
  
"Maybe later," Luna said. "For now, we have other things to  
  
talk about."  
  
"Yeah, like what we're gonna do about this Mornay character," Lita  
  
put in.  
  
"Well, we know he's after the Silver Crystal," Amy observed.  
  
"Maybe we can set a trap for him?"  
  
"Our last one didn't work so well," Raye said. "Face it,  
  
Malachite sets so many traps that he's able to spot one coming a mile  
  
away."  
  
"So what do we do?" Mina asked. "Wait for him to try and come  
  
after Serena again?"  
  
"No, thank you," Serena said. "Having him try and make sushi out  
  
of me once was enough."  
  
"I've never been one to wait for an enemy to attack either,"  
  
MacLeod agreed. "I'd rather get to him first and strike on ground of  
  
my own choosing."  
  
Lita nodded. "I like that. The only problem is finding him. With  
  
that vanishing act he pulled, he could be anywhere."  
  
Amy nodded. "Even the Negaverse."  
  
"I wonder how he pulled that off," MacLeod mused quietly.  
  
"Pulled what off?" Mina asked.  
  
"That disappearing act of his. Mornay, that is. Along with  
  
that transforming trick of his."  
  
"He probably gained that ability when he was infused with  
  
Negapower," Luna replied.  
  
"Possible, but I doubt it," Amy said. "It's more likely that he  
  
gained that ability, plus the others he demonstrated, because he was  
  
infused with a youma. However, unlike the previous cases we've seen,  
  
his personality seems to be dominant over the youma's." She looked at  
  
her computer. "If that's the case, I might be able to locate him by  
  
scanning the city."  
  
Curious, MacLeod glanced over her shoulder at the computer  
  
display. "What have you been scanning? Me?"  
  
Amy reddened slightly. "I.. I was seeing if I can tell what it is  
  
that makes you Immortal."  
  
MacLeod suppressed a small flash of irritation. "Any luck?"  
  
"Not yet," she confessed, "but..."  
  
"Just keep in mind that I'm not a lab specimen, hmm?" After she  
  
nodded, he continued, "OK, back to the problem at hand. Let's assume  
  
Mornay's somewhere in Tokyo," MacLeod said. "After all, he's not going  
  
to give up after one skirmish. We know what he looks like, so if we  
  
split up into teams, we might be able to find him first."  
  
"Finding one guy in a city this big is going to take a miracle,"  
  
Raye noted.  
  
MacLeod shrugged. "I don't know. I was able to find you without  
  
much information to go on. Besides, I can sense when he's nearby."  
  
"You can?" Serena asked.  
  
"Yep. And I believe Luna and Artemis can do something similar."  
  
He looked to the two cats. "Am I right?"  
  
"It's not as automatic as it is for you, but yes, we should be  
  
able sense when he's nearby," Luna replied.  
  
"So we should divide up into three teams. Luna on one, Artemis on  
  
another and you for the third," Amy said.  
  
"Sounds good to me," MacLeod replied. "But you should keep alert.  
  
He can sense when *you* are nearby as well," he indicated the Scouts.  
  
Mina stomped her foot in anger. "So *that's* how you were able to  
  
know when I was sneaking up on you! I thought you just had good  
  
hearing!"  
  
MacLeod smiled. "Surprise."  
  
"You mean you can sense our presence even when we're not  
  
transformed?" Amy asked.  
  
MacLeod nodded. "If you try to keep moving or stick with larger  
  
groups of people, he won't be able to tell who it is he's sensing."  
  
"Like he did with me," Serena noted.  
  
"Which means you're going to have to be extra careful, Serena,"  
  
Luna told her.  
  
"Great. Raye was right. It's gonna take a miracle to find him  
  
before he can find us," Lita noted.  
  
"Serena can use the Disguise Pen when we're out searching," Amy  
  
suggested. "That should keep him guessing."  
  
"That's a good idea, Amy," Luna said. "It might not be a bad  
  
idea for her to disguise herself when she goes home from here."  
  
"That cuts down the odds of him finding us first, but it's still  
  
a longshot," Lita noted.  
  
"Maybe we can cuts the odds further. I might be able to call in  
  
some extra help," MacLeod said.  
  
"Help? Who from?" Mina asked.  
  
"The Watchers."  
  
"Watchers?"  
  
"They're an organization that watches and records the affairs of  
  
Immortals. They've been keeping records on us since modern  
  
civilization began."  
  
"They watch everything you guys do?" Mina asked. After MacLeod  
  
nodded, "Then they saw me transform back in London. They... they know  
  
I was Sailor V."  
  
"And my contact with them worked it out that you were also Sailor  
  
Venus," MacLeod said. "But only he and one other Watcher know about  
  
your secret. They decided to keep that information from the rest of  
  
the Watcher network."  
  
"You trust him?" Raye asked.  
  
"I don't think we have any choice right now. But he is the  
  
reason I found out your enemies were using an Immortal to strike at  
  
you." MacLeod paused to let them think that over. "So are we decided?  
  
We meet here tomorrow morning, say at seven, and then fan out to  
  
search for Mornay."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Seven in the morning?!? On a Saturday?!?"  
  
Mornay stepped out of the bathroom, still toweling himself off.  
  
"I hope you enjoyed the shower," a voice asked him. "Because it may be  
  
the last thing you enjoy for quite a while."  
  
Mornay cast a disparaging glare at the figure on the couch, then  
  
went into the bedroom to get dressed. "What the hell is that supposed  
  
to mean?" he asked.  
  
"It means your performance was less than exemplary," the other  
  
answered but paused.  
  
The next voice revealed the reason for the pause. "What it means  
  
is that you *failed*!" Mornay spun around to see Malachite glaring at  
  
him. The Negaverse General looked decidedly unhappy. "You were supposed  
  
to obtain the Silver Crystal AND kill Sailor Moon by now. But the only  
  
thing you did today was run at the first sign of trouble!"  
  
Mornay felt a surge of fear deep within the core of his being. But  
  
if there was one thing he was not, it was a coward. He stepped forward  
  
and stared evenly at Malachite. "I didn't run at the first sign of  
  
trouble. I fought them all, but I was outnumbered and wounded." He  
  
rubbed the side of his neck; the scar from the wound MacLeod had  
  
inflicted plain to see. "I had no choice but retreat and fight another  
  
day."  
  
"You could have kept on fighting," Malachite retorted.  
  
Mornay threw up his hands in frustration. "I couldn't even see  
  
them! There was that damnable fog!"  
  
"Next time I suggest you make sure Mercury is neutralized before  
  
you battle them again." Both Malachite and Mornay looked to the doorway  
  
as the third member of their alliance, James Horton, entered the room.  
  
Mornay pointed an accusing finger at him. "You never said  
  
anything about MacLeod being there! The only ones you told me about  
  
where those Scouts!"  
  
"His presence was not a certainty," Horton replied.  
  
Malachite saw that Horton was being less than forthright. "But  
  
not entirely unexpected," he observed.  
  
"He does tend to show up where he's not wanted." Horton smiled  
  
sardonically. "The white knight riding to the rescue."  
  
"You should have warned me he might show up, so I'd be ready,"  
  
Mornay reiterated. "If I knew he'd be there, I would have moved faster."  
  
He glared at Malachite. "And you. You said I would be invulnerable with  
  
the power you gave me. But an ordinary blade did this!" He gestured to  
  
the scar on his neck. "I was almost killed!"  
  
"You survived," Malachite noted dryly, almost sorry that fact.  
  
"A katana is far from an ordinary blade. It's among the strongest  
  
and sharpest blades ever made." Horton paused and allowed his words to  
  
sink in. "You took their best shots and came away barely scratched.  
  
If your strategy had been better laid out to begin with, you might  
  
have prevailed."  
  
Mornay took a deep breath and start pacing. "I see what you're  
  
saying. Very well, I'll be ready for them all next time."  
  
"Who says you'll get another chance?" An energy sword  
  
materialized in Malachite's hand, and Mornay's eyes widened in fear.  
  
"Perhaps we should just cut our losses off at your neck and use our  
  
other Immortal in your place."  
  
"Now, now, Malachite," Horton stepped in. "Let's not be hasty.  
  
While Kane may be more adept that Mornay in certain areas," Mornay  
  
snorted in contempt despite his fear, "He isn't exactly sympathetic to  
  
your cause."  
  
"Irrelevant," Malachite snarled. "I've controlled other humans  
  
before. I can control Kane just as easily."  
  
"As I recall, your previous uses of controlled humans have ended  
  
in failure. Can you afford to take the chance this time? Would your  
  
monarch be so understanding about yet another failure?" Horton waited  
  
for an answer but Malachite's silence told him far more than anything  
  
the General could have said. "I thought as much. Now, I do agree with  
  
you that a slight change in our strategy is warranted. MacLeod must be  
  
dealt with first. With him eliminated, Mornay should find his battle  
  
against the Scouts much easier."  
  
"I assume you have some thoughts on this?" Malachite asked.  
  
Horton nodded. "I know MacLeod and how he thinks. The stratagem  
  
I have in mind should be sufficient to through him off balance enough  
  
for our purposes. The only question is, do you have the power and  
  
ability to pull it off?"  
  
"I have power and ability to spare," Malachite told him, his  
  
disdain for Horton evident in his tone. "What do you propose?"  
  
"...don't have to put me up for the night. I can find a hotel  
  
room," MacLeod was saying as he followed Lita into her apartment.  
  
"Without a reservation, you might that's easier said than done on  
  
a Friday night," she told him. MacLeod grimaced at the truth in her  
  
statement. At this point, he'd be lucky if he found a hotel room closer  
  
than Taitoku. "Besides, I sorta owe you for... well, killing you."  
  
MacLeod chuckled. "For the last time, no harm was done."  
  
"You act like you die all the time."  
  
"I've done it a few times before," he understated. Now that he  
  
was inside, he took a look around the apartment. While it was not  
  
luxurious, it was still well furnished and it looked like Lita kept it  
  
meticulously neat. "You've got a nice place here. You sure your parent  
  
won't mind you bringing an older man home?"  
  
"I... live alone," Lita replied in a quiet voice. After  
  
MacLeod's disbelieving look, "My parents were killed in a plane crash."  
  
"Don't you have other family you can live with?"  
  
"A few cousins, but nobody close. And I refuse to do the foster  
  
child route!" For emphasis, she slammed her fist down on the countertop.  
  
"I believe you," MacLeod agreed with her earnestly. He eyed the countertop, but there was no sign of it cracking. Either it was made of  
  
very strong stuff, or Lita hadn't put her full strength into the blow.  
  
"I'm sorry about your parents."  
  
Lita shrugged. "It was a while ago. I've gotten used to not  
  
having them around."  
  
"But the pain never entirely goes away." Now it was Lita's turn  
  
to look in disbelief. "I've been alive for four hundred years, Lita.  
  
I know a little something about loss. Old losses..." A variety of  
  
emotions echoed through his soul as he recalled Tessa's death. "...and  
  
recent ones."  
  
Lita took a good look at MacLeod's face. He was concealing his  
  
feelings well, but she could read the sorrow behind the mask. "You  
  
lost someone special recently." She phrased it so that it wasn't a  
  
question.  
  
He nodded. "A few months ago... and she was very special."  
  
The awkward moment lingered for a bit. Finally Lita shook herself,  
  
"You want something to drink? I could make some tea."  
  
"Sounds good to me. Thanks." Lita smiled and went into the  
  
kitchen. While he waited, MacLeod walked around the living room. As he  
  
passed by the couch, a wave of tiredness washed over him. The day's  
  
exertions must finally be catching up to him, he mused. Perhaps he  
  
just needed to sit down for a minute.  
  
"Do you want anything in your tea?" Lita called out from the  
  
kitchen a few minutes later. When no response was forthcoming, she  
  
stepped back out into the living room. "Duncan?" What she saw brought  
  
her up short. MacLeod was seated on the couch, his head tilted back,  
  
his eyes closed... and he was snoring softly. Lita shook her head and  
  
went back into the kitchen. "I guess the tea is going to have to wait."  
  
Next time: The Scouts go on the prowl looking for Mornay, while MacLeod  
  
finds out what happened to his friend Marcus Kane. 


	3. Chapter 3 - With friends like him...

Highlander Moon by Bill Harris  
  
soton@aol.com  
  
Chapter 3 - With friends like him...  
  
From her perch on the windowsill, Luna watched as Serena shifted  
  
restlessly in her bed for the umpteeth time. It was obvious to the  
  
feline that she was getting little, if any, sleep. An unusual situation  
  
for Serena, to say the least. But this time, instead of lying still and  
  
at least pretending to sleep, she sat up in her bed, heaving a sigh of  
  
frustration. "You should try to get some sleep, Serena," Luna chided  
  
her gently.  
  
"I can't sleep, Luna."  
  
Luna made her best attempt at raising an eyebrow. "You? Can't  
  
sleep?" she said, trying to relieve the tension in the room with some  
  
humor, "This has to be an historic occasion."  
  
The attempt fell flat. Serena glared at the cat. "Very funny,  
  
Luna," she said crossly.  
  
Luna sighed and jumped onto the bed beside her charge. "What's  
  
the matter, Serena?"  
  
"It's this whole situation. Yeah, I've had Beryl and her goons  
  
after me for a while now, but this Mornay guy knows what I look like,  
  
both as Serena and as Sailor Moon. What if he attacks here?"  
  
"Then you'll defend yourself," Luna replied. "You're not exactly  
  
helpless you know."  
  
"But it's not me that I'm worried about, Luna! I'm worried about  
  
Mom or Dad getting hurt... Even Sammy..." She paused for a moment.  
  
"It's bad enough that I let my friends get hurt in all this, but if  
  
something happens to them..."  
  
"Nothing is going to happen to them, Serena," Luna broke in. "We  
  
took every precaution to keep Mornay off your trail. You used the  
  
Disguise Pen all the way from Raye's. Plus Amy scanned the area, and  
  
MacLeod scouted around as well. It's unlikely he knows where you live.  
  
Now, tomorrow is a big day; we're going to find the Mornay character and,  
  
with MacLeod's help, deal with him once and for all. So please try to  
  
relax and get some sleep. You don't have to worry about him sneaking in.  
  
I'm here keeping watch and Artemis is just outside doing the same. If  
  
anyone..."  
  
"Someone call my name?" Startled, both Serena and Luna turned  
  
rapidly to see Artemis sitting on the windowsill.  
  
"What are you doing here?!?" Luna all but shouted. "You're supposed  
  
to be outside on guard!"  
  
"Take it easy, Luna. I haven't gone AWOL. I was relieved."  
  
"Relieved? By whom?" Luna asked.  
  
"MacLeod," the white feline replied as if that explained everything.  
  
"He said he'd keep watch until daybreak."  
  
"MacLeod?!?" Luna hopped back to the windowsill and looked outside.  
  
Serena moved beside both the cats and looked out for herself. "Where? I  
  
don't see him."  
  
Artemis waved a paw to a shadowed area of the yard. "There."  
  
Serena peered closely at the spot Artemis had indicated, but she  
  
could barely make out the outline of a man down there. "I can barely see  
  
him."  
  
"That's the idea," Artemis replied. "He won't need his eyes to know  
  
Mornay's about. If he shows up, he's says he'll feel him before he can  
  
see him."  
  
Luna snorted. "Didn't the fight earlier today teach him anything?  
  
Mornay is too tough for him to handle alone."  
  
"That's what I told him," Artemis answered. "He said, 'I can handle  
  
him long enough for Sailor Moon to get here with her friends. Then we'll  
  
deal with him together.'"  
  
"I wonder how those two got along overnight?" Mina asked as she and  
  
Artemis were on their way to Lita's. From there they planned to head on  
  
over to Raye's along with Lita and MacLeod.  
  
"Well, he wasn't there the whole night. He was over at Serena's for  
  
a while and gave us a hand," Artemis explained between yawns. It had  
  
been a long and mostly sleepless night for both him and Luna.  
  
"He was? He's going to be more tired than you." Mina paused for a  
  
moment and looked down with concern at her feline companion. "Speaking of  
  
which, are you sure you're up to this, Artemis? We've got a long day  
  
ahead of us."  
  
"I'll be OK," the white cat reassured her. "I managed to get a  
  
couple of catnaps after MacLeod arrived." Not nearly enough, but it  
  
would have to do, he told himself.  
  
"If you say so." Mina wasn't all that reassured, but for the moment  
  
she had no other choice than to take Artemis at his word. As for Duncan,  
  
she'd find out soon enough.  
  
A few minutes later, she was standing at the doorway to Lita's  
  
apartment and knocking at it. The door opened quickly in response. "Hi  
  
there!" Lita said brightly and ushered the two of them inside.  
  
Mina sniffed at the pleasant aroma of cooking present in the air.  
  
"Hmmm... that smells good. So what did you make Duncan for breakfast?"  
  
"I hate to disappoint you, but I didn't do the cooking today," Lita  
  
answered while leading them into the kitchen. There Duncan was putting  
  
the finishing touches on a pair of cheese omelettes.  
  
"Good morning, Mina. If you're hungry, we've got time for me to  
  
make another."  
  
"Thanks, but I'm not Serena. I ate before I left home." Mina took  
  
a moment to sniff the air again. "Smells delicious, though. I didn't  
  
know you could cook, Duncan."  
  
"Most of us learn out of necessity," Duncan replied while setting  
  
the dishes down on the table and sat down. "When your forced to move  
  
around as much as we do, it's either that or you spend centuries eating  
  
at restaurants."  
  
"I'm surprised Lita didn't insisted on cooking, since you're a guest  
  
and all."  
  
"Hey!" Lita managed to get out through a mouthful of food.  
  
"It wasn't for lack of trying," Duncan said in her defense. "She  
  
was pretty adamant about it, but fortunately we Scots are a more stubborn  
  
breed. I figured it was the least I could do to make up for falling  
  
asleep on the couch the moment I got here."  
  
"You fell asleep on the couch?" Mina raised one eyebrow. "Boy,  
  
Lita must have shown a *real* exciting time last night."  
  
"Mina!" Lita hissed, her face turning red.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that!" the blonde protested. "Besides, I  
  
know that Duncan already has a girlfriend. He told me a lot about her  
  
when we met in London. When Artemis told me you were in town, I was sort  
  
of hoping you brought her along. I'd like to meet Tessa someday."  
  
The look she got from Lita and the way Duncan froze in mid-motion  
  
told Mina that there was something wrong with what she had said. But she  
  
couldn't figure it out until Duncan spoke softly, "She's dead."  
  
"Ooops." Mina didn't know what to say to that, other than, "I'm  
  
sorry."  
  
"It's been a while," Duncan said. "Don't worry about it."  
  
Mina tried to cover her embarrassment with a small laugh. "Oh, boy.  
  
I guess put my fist in my eye with that one."  
  
"Put your foot in your mouth," a pair of male voices corrected her.  
  
That little bit of repartee evaporated the pallor that had come over  
  
the room. Lita tried to keep from laughing while Mina couldn't decide who  
  
she wanted to glare at more: Artemis or MacLeod. "I see she still doesn't  
  
get them right," MacLeod noted.  
  
"I've come to the conclusion that the day she gets one of these  
  
proverbs right is the day the world ends," Artemis noted sadly.  
  
"ARTEMIS!"  
  
Soon enough they had finished their meal and, after cleaning up, had  
  
set out for the Temple. They were almost halfway there when Duncan paused  
  
in midstride and began looking around. Both Mina and Lita watched with  
  
some confusion, although Mina had at least an inkling on what was going  
  
on. Enough to hazard a guess, anyway. "There's an Immortal nearby,  
  
right?"  
  
"Somewhere close by," Duncan confirmed. As if waiting for MacLeod  
  
to utter these words, a figure stepped out from the shadows ahead of them.  
  
MacLeod reach inside his jacket for his sword, but didn't draw it yet.  
  
"Unless this is Mornay, do me a favor and stay out of this. No matter  
  
what happens."  
  
"What are you, nuts?!" Lita exclaimed.  
  
"Just do as I ask." He glanced over to Mina. "You know the Rules.  
  
And how I feel about them."  
  
She nodded in response and Duncan stepped forward to confront the  
  
other Immortal. Lita cast an inquisitive glance her way and she answered  
  
the unspoken question, "All their fights are supposed to be one on one.  
  
No outside help. And Duncan takes them pretty seriously."  
  
Lita shook her head. "I still say he's nuts."  
  
Mina silently agreed, but she was willing to do it Duncan's way for  
  
now. Nevertheless, she held her transformation pen ready in her hand... just  
  
in case.  
  
Duncan stepped warily forward, but most of his apprehension melted  
  
away when he got a clear look at the other Immortal. "I'm glad to see  
  
you're OK, Kane."  
  
Kane arched an eyebrow. "You had doubts?"  
  
"Can you blame me?" MacLeod retorted. "Last I heard, you were  
  
battling another Immortal when Malachite appeared and the three of you  
  
vanished afterwards. So what happened."  
  
"Nothing happened, MacLeod. As you can see, I'm fine." Suddenly  
  
Kane moved swiftly, drawing out his blade. "But I'm afraid you won't be!"  
  
he exclaimed while swinging the sword.  
  
"I knew it!" Forgetting MacLeod's warning about staying out of  
  
this, Lita instantly had her own transformation pen out and was raising  
  
it skyward. In the next instant, a pair of transformations were triggered.  
  
MacLeod stumbled backwards and tried desperately to draw his katana.  
  
But in truth, the last thing he had expected from Kane was that he would  
  
try and take his head. And it seemed Kane was about to do just that...  
  
Except that his swing had been clumsy, enough at least for MacLeod to  
  
avoid it and get his sword out. Weapons ready, the two Immortals  
  
started circling each other when two forms leapt to either side of Kane.  
  
"Hold it right there!" Jupiter shouted, getting into position to unleash  
  
her attack.  
  
Kane eyed the two Sailor Scouts and did the last thing either  
  
expected -- he put his sword away. "Another time, Highlander."  
  
"Whenever you want," MacLeod replied. "Except next time I'll be  
  
ready."  
  
Kane didn't reply other than by nodding and started walking away.  
  
Jupiter made to go after him, but MacLeod grabbed her arm. "Let him go."  
  
"Why should we?" she wanted to know. "Don't we have enough troubles  
  
with that Mornay guy running around? Why let him go?"  
  
"I owe him that much," Duncan answered. "He's a friend."  
  
"Some friend," Venus said. "If this is his reaction when he meets  
  
you, what did he do when you first met?"  
  
Duncan didn't answer her immediately. He watched Kane walk away for  
  
a time and then said quietly, "He saved my life."  
  
Northern England, September, 1650  
  
MacLeod scrambled up the hillside through the underbrush, the fear  
  
and desperation of his situation giving him the strength he needed to try  
  
and stay ahead of his pursuers. But they were doggedly staying with him.  
  
He had run almost two miles since his escape from the prisoner march, but  
  
he could still hear them behind him, getting closer all the while and  
  
crying out for his head.  
  
All in all, things did not look good.  
  
Two week previously, it had all seemed so different. Then the  
  
Scottish army had cornered Cromwell's army at Dunbar after harassing it  
  
all through it's march into Scotland. But then, through a series of  
  
blunders, those in charge of the Scots squandered away all their  
  
advantages. The result was an utter defeat for the Scots and thousands  
  
being taken prisoner. MacLeod had found himself among those unfortunates  
  
who were being marched back to the English city of Durham.  
  
Now, as if Fate had taken a hand to prove to him that thing could  
  
indeed get worse, MacLeod felt the sensation rush through his being,  
  
announcing the presence of another Immortal. "Great," he muttered to  
  
himself. "Just what I dinnae need right now."  
  
There was obviously no going back, not with several (eight, he  
  
thought) English soldiers in hot pursuit and hungry for his blood. His  
  
only choice was to keep going up the hillside and hope that the other  
  
Immortal was not looking to take heads today.  
  
It wasn't long before he reached the crest of the hill. A man on  
  
horseback was there, obviously waiting for someone. MacLeod knew  
  
instantly that he had to be the Immortal he had sensed. He looked to  
  
be shorter than MacLeod, but he was built powerfully and had the look  
  
of an experience warrior to him. The other Immortal took a moment to  
  
make his own observations of MacLeod before he observed drily, "Looks  
  
like you've got trouble following you, Highlander."  
  
"Aye, that's true enough," MacLeod replied warily. "I just hope  
  
I dinnae have in front of me as well."  
  
The man smiled. "I have no argument with you, Highlander. And  
  
unless you provoke one with me, you have no reason to fear that I would  
  
try and take your head."  
  
"Glad tae hear it." MacLeod glanced down the hillside. From his  
  
vantage point up here, he could see his pursuers closing in on him  
  
steadily. It would only be a matter of minutes before they caught up  
  
with him. "Since you're not my enemy, I'd best be going."  
  
"Hold on a moment," the Immortal said. "Your pursuers seem very  
  
determined to catch one escaped prisoner. Mind telling me why?"  
  
"It might have something to do with the two guards I killed  
  
escaping," MacLeod said.  
  
"Hmmm.... One of the guards must have been someone important.  
  
Important enough that they seem determined enough to chase you all the  
  
way back to the Highlands." He took a moment to evaluate the pursuit  
  
before he said anything more. "You stand a small chance of eluding them  
  
on foot. Your best chance is to make your stand here," he advised.  
  
"Are ye daft, man?!?" MacLeod exclaimed. Maybe he was, he reflected.  
  
Maybe he was just as stupid as the generals that had lead Scotland's  
  
armies to an ignoble defeat at the hands of Cromwell's weakened and  
  
retreating army. "There are at least eight of them, and I have nae  
  
weapon!"  
  
The man raised an eyebrow. "You killed two guards and you didn't  
  
take either of their weapons?"  
  
"I took the first guard's sword," MacLeod replied defensively. "But  
  
I lost it when I had tae deal with the second. I hadnae time to grab  
  
another."  
  
"I see." He watched the pursuit a moment before replying. "Well, I  
  
see only six after you. The others seem to have broken off. I'd wager  
  
that they're riding on horseback around this hill to cut you off. But as  
  
for the weapon..." He reached for the pack horse behind him and retrieved  
  
a sword from the baggage, then tossed it to the astonished Highlander.  
  
"I believe you're familiar with handling a claymore," he observed.  
  
"Aye." MacLeod drew the weapon from it's scabbard and examined it  
  
critically. It looked to be a good, stout blade, one that seen a fair bit  
  
of use. But there was still one problem. "Not tae sound ungrateful, but  
  
it's still six to one. Long odds at best."  
  
"True." MacLeod watched in astonishment as the man dismounted and  
  
drew his own broadsword. "But three to one odds are better."  
  
"Why are ye doing this?"  
  
The other man shrugged. "It just seems like the right thing to do.  
  
Besides, I don't care all that much for Cromwell and his cronies.  
  
Regicide has a way of sticking in my craw."  
  
"I canna argue with that," MacLeod said. "By the way, ye should  
  
know who yuir going into battle with. I am Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod."  
  
He started in recognition. "MacLeod? Any relation to Connor  
  
MacLeod?"  
  
MacLeod nodded. "Aye. He's my kinsman. Ye know him?"  
  
"Only briefly, about fifty or so years ago," the other replied. He  
  
extended a hand over to MacLeod, which he clasped. "Glad to make your  
  
acquaintance, Duncan. My name is Marcus Kane."  
  
Tokyo, present day  
  
"What happened after that?" Mina asked.  
  
"We made out stand on that hill. We killed two of them and wounded  
  
another when they decided they had enough and ran off. Kane lent me his  
  
pack horse and we rode together to the Highlands."  
  
"You probably could have gotten away on your own," Lita pointed out.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," MacLeod said. "The fact remains that he helped  
  
me out when I needed it."  
  
The rest of the trip went uneventfully, and quietly. Duncan's  
  
thoughts where in a turmoil over why Kane had acted as he had. Mina and  
  
Lita each had their own thoughts on the matter, but kept them to  
  
themselves.  
  
When they reached the Temple, Raye was waiting for them by the gate  
  
with a worried expression on her face. "I'm glad you guys are here," she  
  
said. "We might have a problem."  
  
"Now what?" Lita grumbled.  
  
Raye looked the three of them over. "What, did something happen?"  
  
"You could say that," MacLeod replied. "For now, let's just deal  
  
with this one."  
  
Raye nodded. "It may be nothing, but this guy got here about fifteen  
  
minutes ago. He hasn't said anything, but I've got a feeling he's waiting  
  
for someone."  
  
"Is this guy about a foot shorter than Duncan with black hair?" Mina  
  
asked, breifly describing Kane.  
  
"I think he's a little taller than that, but his hair is definitely  
  
on the graying side, along with his beard. And he walks..."  
  
"...with a cane," Duncan finished for her.  
  
There were varying looks of surprise from the girls. "You know him?"  
  
Lita asked.  
  
"Yeah. It sounds like Dawson, my contact with the Watchers. But I  
  
have no idea what he's doing here." He shrugged, "I was going to give  
  
him a call, but I guess this saves me the trouble. Where is he?"  
  
"This way," Raye said, and headed onto the Temple grounds. After  
  
several minutes, she halted at the edge of the courtyard and pointed.  
  
Duncan recognized Dawson instantly, and it looked like the Watcher was  
  
having an animated discussion with Raye's grandfather. Motioning for  
  
the girls to keep back and out of sight, Duncan moved a couple of steps forward and waited for Dawson to spot him. It took a couple of minutes,  
  
but eventually Dawson did see him and excused himself from the  
  
conversation.  
  
"What are you doing here, Dawson?" MacLeod said when the Watcher  
  
had gotten close enough.  
  
"I told you I'd be in touch."  
  
"No," MacLeod said, shaking his head. "I mean, what are you doing  
  
*here*?" He waved his hand around, indicating the Temple grounds.  
  
Realization dawned on Dawson's face. "Ah. To tell the truth, I  
  
just guessed you would show up here sometime."  
  
"Guessed?"  
  
"Yeah. I heard a bit about the fight yesterday -- at least I  
  
presume there was -- so I knew you were somewhere in the area. Since this  
  
is the closest patch of holy ground to there, and I already knew that the  
  
Scouts' activities center around this area, it seemed like a good place  
  
to start." Dawson eyed MacLeod. "Would you rather I had used a local  
  
Watcher to find you and chance them learning about the Sailor Scouts?"  
  
"Not really," Duncan said, conceding the point. He wasn't really  
  
too sure about Dawson's story, but now was not the time to press the  
  
issue. "But I was sort of expecting you to just call."  
  
"And pass up the chance to come to Japan? Not on your life."  
  
"And maybe meet the Sailor Scouts," Duncan added.  
  
"Maybe," Dawson said with a shrug. "But the locals make the trip  
  
worthwhile, too. Take that Shinto priest I was just talking too. Not  
  
only did I learn a plethora about the Shinto religion, but I also got  
  
plenty of tips about the local female population." He hesitated before  
  
adding, "Of course, the age bracket he was describing is a little low  
  
for me."  
  
A low growling sound came from the nearby bushes, prompting Dawson  
  
to glance over in that direction. "I take it that's either your fan club,"  
  
he commented to MacLeod, "Or you're starting your own brand of watchers."  
  
Before Duncan could reply, there was a rustling of movement and  
  
Mina emerged from hiding. "Mina," Dawson said, immediately recognizing  
  
her.  
  
"Why didn't you stay back there?" MacLeod asked her.  
  
"He already knew somebody was back there," she replied, shooting a  
  
look behind her. "Plus he already knows about me, so why not?"  
  
"Well, I'm glad you did," Dawson said. "I've been looking forward to  
  
meeting you face to face."  
  
Mina blinked. "You have?"  
  
"Yep," Dawson replied. "I've been following your activities since  
  
your Sailor V days, even before you met MacLeod here. You could say I'm a  
  
fan."  
  
MacLeod wasn't sure he heard that right. "You?!?"  
  
"Sure," Dawson replied. "There's a lot more to me than being a  
  
Watcher, MacLeod."  
  
"So I'm beginning to see," MacLeod said. "So aside from the fact  
  
that you're a Sailor V otaku, what other information do you have for me,  
  
Dawson?"  
  
"I've got a line on the Immortal Kane was fighting when Malachite  
  
showed up."  
  
"We know that already," Mina said. "Philip Mornay."  
  
Dawson glanced between Mina and MacLeod. "I really hate it when  
  
you're a step ahead of me. I take it Mornay still has his head?"  
  
"Yeah, but it's not for lack of trying," MacLeod replied. "Let's  
  
just say that Malachite gave him some unusual abilities."  
  
Dawson looked askance at MacLeod. "I'm not sure I like the sound of  
  
that."  
  
"You'd have liked his looks even less," Mina said.  
  
"Well, I doubt it would have been less than how much Kane likes  
  
Mornay. Those two have a history going back about six hundred years. It  
  
turns out that Kane was Mornay's teacher."  
  
"Teacher?" Mina asked.  
  
"It's sort of a tradition among Immortals. Older Immortals will  
  
take in those who've just become Immortals," Duncan answered. "We teach  
  
them about the Rules, how to live among mortals undetected and how to  
  
fight. I've done it myself a time or two."  
  
"Except you never had a student turn on you the way Mornay turned  
  
on Kane," Dawson put in.  
  
"What happened?" MacLeod asked.  
  
"The details are a little sketchy. All we know for certain is that  
  
he killed Kane's wife at the time and tried to kill Kane as well.  
  
Obviously he failed, but managed to get away. Kane's held a grudge  
  
ever since, and has taken every opportunity to try and kill Mornay."  
  
"So why's he working with Mornay?" Mina asked.  
  
Now it was Dawson's turn to doubt his hearing. "What?!?"  
  
"We don't know he's working with Mornay, Mina, " MacLeod said.  
  
"Seems like a good bet to me."  
  
"Wait a minute! What's going on?" a very perplexed Dawson wanted to  
  
know.  
  
"We bumped into Kane on the way over here," Duncan said as if that  
  
answered the question.  
  
Dawson waited for the other shoe to drop. "And..?"  
  
"And... and he tried to take my head," Duncan added reluctantly.  
  
Dawson stared dumbfounded at MacLeod for several seconds. "You're  
  
kidding."  
  
"Why are you so surprised?" Mina asked.  
  
"Because that's totally out of character for Kane!" Dawson exclaimed.  
  
"We have records on Kane going back centuries, all the way back to the  
  
beginning of the Watchers. He's probably older than our organization.  
  
In all that time, Kane has never just gone after another Immortal. Not  
  
unless that Immortal has wronged him in some way."  
  
"Well, he certainly went right after Duncan," Mina countered.  
  
"But he didn't kill me," Duncan said.  
  
Mina snorted. "He certainly tried hard enough."  
  
"A swordsman of Kane's caliber just doesn't miss an easy kill like  
  
that," MacLeod pointed out.  
  
"You ducked the blow," Mina countered.  
  
"Mina, he had me cold. As caught off guard as I was, Kane should  
  
have been able to kill me blindfolded. But he missed, and badly at that."  
  
Duncan waited a minute for this to sink in before adding, "There's  
  
something else going on here."  
  
"I agree with that," Dawson said. "There's no way that Marcus Kane  
  
in his right mind would try and kill MacLeod... and there's even less of  
  
a chance he'd work alongside Philip Mornay."  
  
"I'm very disappointed in you, Kane," Horton said. "You were  
  
supposed to kill MacLeod. You had a golden opportunity to do so, and  
  
you failed."  
  
Kane shrugged. "There'll be other chances. Besides, two of the  
  
Sailor Scouts showed up. That made continuing the fight impossible."  
  
"That's not what I mean, and you know it." Horton paced a few steps  
  
back and forth. "You had an excellent first strike opportunity, but  
  
missed."  
  
"MacLeod evaded the blow."  
  
"You were clumsy, you mean. Your actions should have caught him  
  
completely off guard. MacLeod should not have had a chance."  
  
Kane shrugged once more. "It happens."  
  
Horton didn't reply, but he did stop his pacing and stare intently  
  
at Kane. After a moment, the Immortal grimaced as a wave of intense  
  
pain swept through him. "See to it that it doesn't happen again.  
  
Understood?"  
  
"Yes," Kane hissed out. "I understand."  
  
Horton nodded and walked over to his two compatriots. Malachite  
  
stood behind the couch, glowering. To say that he was unhappy would be  
  
an understatement. Mornay, on the other hand, sat upon the couch and  
  
sipped his drink like he didn't have a care. "I told you he'd fail,"  
  
he told Horton.  
  
Malachite was more direct. "Your plan isn't working."  
  
"If you give up this easily, it's no wonder you haven't defeated  
  
the Sailor Scouts," Horton replied evenly. If he was intimidated at  
  
all by Malachite's presence, the renegade Watcher gave no sign. "The  
  
plan is still perfectly viable. While MacLeod isn't dead, he is  
  
distracted. His focus is no longer solely on finding Mornay. Now it  
  
is split between that and figuring out what went wrong with his friend  
  
Kane."  
  
"So what do you propose to do now?"  
  
"No doubt MacLeod is planning on scouring the city to find Mornay  
  
before he can strike at the Sailor Scouts. We should use our two  
  
Immortals to do the same. In the meantime, I might be able to use his  
  
connection to the Watchers against him."  
  
"What should I do if I find them?" Mornay asked.  
  
"You know what to do already," Horton told him. "If you find  
  
Sailor Moon, take the Silver Crystal and kill her before she can get  
  
help from her friends."  
  
"And the others? MacLeod?"  
  
"Wipe them out," Horton replied. "All of them."  
  
"Could you do me a favor, Dawson?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I think I'm ahead of you this time," Dawson replied. "I'll get in  
  
touch with the local Watchers, and have them keep an eye out for Kane and  
  
Mornay. I'll also talk to Kane's Watcher again and see if she noticed  
  
anything out of the ordinary about him lately."  
  
"Thanks, Dawson."  
  
The aging Watcher nodded to MacLeod and started for the street.  
  
"I'll be in touch. But watch your back, MacLeod. Both you and your new  
  
friends."  
  
"Sound advice for any era," Duncan said, loud enough for Dawson to  
  
catch. As soon as Dawson was out of sight, Lita and Raye emerged from  
  
their hiding place. "Once Serena and Amy get here, we can get started."  
  
Raye snorted. "I hope you like waiting."  
  
"Why?" he inquired.  
  
"Because Serena is always late."  
  
MacLeod felt a rapidly becoming familiar sensation rush through his  
  
being. It told him that either Amy or Serena was approaching, or  
  
possibly both. He decided to gamble on the outcome, and maybe have some  
  
fun doing so. Putting on his best poker face, he said,"Oh, really? Would  
  
you care to place a small bet on it?"  
  
"You've got to be kidding," Raye said. "With Serena, that's a sure  
  
thing."  
  
Duncan smiled. "Come on, humor me. Loser buys the drinks."  
  
"Done." They shook hands to seal the bet. "I thought someone your  
  
age would be smarter than..."  
  
"Hi guys!" Serena came up to them, followed closely by Luna, Amy and  
  
Lita.  
  
Duncan looked at Raye with an insufferably smug smile on his face.  
  
"You were saying?"  
  
Raye's eyes practically leapt from their sockets. She checked her  
  
watch and looked back up at Serena, then repeated the process at least  
  
twice more. "Serena?!? You're... five minutes EARLY?!!?" she said, her  
  
voice rising to a near shriek.  
  
Serena place her hands on her hips and scowled at Raye. "You don't  
  
have to get so wigged out, Raye. You act as if you've never seen anyone  
  
on time before."  
  
"I've never seen YOU on time before! Let alone early! You usually  
  
don't get out of bed for another hour. And that's on a school day!"  
  
"Oh, very funny." Serena stuck out her tongue and gave Raye a  
  
raspberry. She was still too stunned to return it.  
  
"You can pay up later," said Duncan. "Right now we've got a lot of  
  
ground to cover."  
  
"Right," Mina said. "OK, we split up into three teams. Duncan, Luna  
  
and Artemis each on one. I'll go with Artemis, and I guess you'll want to  
  
go with Luna, Serena?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
"I'll go with Duncan," Lita volunteered.  
  
"And I'll go with Serena and Luna," a recovered Raye said, prompting  
  
several looks of astonishment from the others. The exception was Luna,  
  
who groaned inwardly and hoped that the inevitable shouting matches  
  
between the two girls would be slightly less noisy than an artillery  
  
barrage.  
  
"Then that puts me with Mina and Artemis," Amy said.  
  
"Then it sounds like we're set to begin. Just remember, if you spot  
  
Mornay, don't try to take him on yourselves. Call the others, and we'll  
  
tackle him together."  
  
"And what if we spot Kane?" Mina asked.  
  
"Leave him to me," Duncan replied in a voice the brooked no argument.  
  
"Let's get started."  
  
Mina watched as Amy performed yet another scan of the area. They  
  
were having the same luck as Raye and Serena were in locating Mornay --  
  
namely, none. Still, hope wrings eternally, she told herself. "Anything?"  
  
"I'm afraid not," Amy replied. "I thought I had the scanning program  
  
set to detect Immortals, but something must be wrong. I'm barely detecting  
  
Duncan."  
  
"Well, he is pretty far from here," Mina pointed out. "Last I heard,  
  
he and Lita were just about on the far side of the city."  
  
"That's well within my scanning radius." Amy stared glumly at the  
  
readout. "There must be some factor I haven't taken into account. Maybe  
  
Immortals have some unknown ability that shields them from detection... Or  
  
maybe there are just too many people around for the scan to be effective..."  
  
"Or maybe we should just open our eyes," Artemis chimed in. "Look!"  
  
Both girls looked in the direction the cat indicated. "There he is,"  
  
Mina said as she spotted Mornay walking down the other side of the street.  
  
"Do you think he sense us?"  
  
Amy was busy working her computer again. By focusing the scan on the  
  
area where Mornay was, she was able to pick him up on her scanner. "Maybe,"  
  
she said in answer to Mina's question. "We just don't know enough about an  
  
Immortal's sensing ability to be able to figure out it's effective radius."  
  
"Hey, he's getting away! Shouldn't we start following him?"  
  
"Take it easy, Mina. I've managed to get a lock on him with my  
  
computer. We should be able to follow him wherever he goes."  
  
She hesitated briefly, then added, "Although, considering that my earlier  
  
scans didn't detect him nearby, we may have to keep somewhat close to him  
  
to maintain the lock."  
  
"Then what are we standing around for? Let's go!" Not waiting to  
  
see if her companions were following, Mina started down their side of the  
  
street, intent on keeping a watchful eye on Mornay.  
  
Artemis and Amy immediately started after her. "Slow down, Mina,"  
  
Artemis urged her.  
  
"You heard what Amy said. We have to keep him in sight or we'll  
  
lose him again."  
  
"That isn't exactly what she said. Besides, remember what MacLeod  
  
said about contacting him before trying anything?"  
  
"Duncan worries too much," Mina replied confidently, "Let's see  
  
where he's going first."  
  
"Are you sure we're in the right spot?" Duncan asked.  
  
Lita sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. "I told you we were  
  
fifteen minutes ago," she told him tersely.  
  
"Great," MacLeod muttered. He and Lita had been several hours into  
  
their search when he had gotten a call from Dawson. One of the local  
  
Watchers had spotted Kane in this vicinity. Dawson had said that he  
  
would be waiting for them at this street corner, but MacLeod didn't see  
  
any sign of him around. Either something had happened to him, or he had  
  
been forced to move on. "Let's scout around and see if we can find him."  
  
"Why are we looking for this guy?" Lita asked, following MacLeod.  
  
"I mean, he spotted Kane. I thought Mornay was the bigger threat."  
  
"He is." MacLeod stopped and turned to face her. "But if we find  
  
Kane, we're likely to be that much closer to finding Mornay."  
  
"How do you figure?"  
  
"Look at the facts," MacLeod replied. "They were both seen fighting  
  
each other in London when Malachite showed up and whisked them away to  
  
wherever..."  
  
"The Negaverse," Lita put in.  
  
Duncan shrugged. "Could be, but the point is that they both  
  
vanished with Malachite. And now Mornay has these powers, and Kane  
  
tried to kill me the moment he saw me. There has to be some connection. Somehow they've controlled Kane into working with Mornay, a man he's  
  
hated for centuries."  
  
"OK, you've made your point," Lita conceded. "Problem is, your  
  
contact is nowhere to be found."  
  
"Yeah," MacLeod said. "I'll give Dawson a call. Maybe he's heard  
  
from him." He was reaching into his jacket for his cell phone when he  
  
spotted something in the alley behind Lita. "Uh oh..."  
  
"Huh?" Lita asked, puzzled. She grew even more confused when the  
  
Highlander brushed past her and raced into the alley. But her confusion  
  
didn't last too long. MacLeod quickly reached the crumpled form he had  
  
seen, and the Immortal knelt down beside it. He checked for a pulse, but  
  
from the coolness of the body and the pool of blood nearby, he knew he  
  
wasn't going to find one. "Is he...?" Lita asked, coming up behind him.  
  
"He's dead," MacLeod confirmed. He grabbed the man's right arm and  
  
did a quick check of the wrist. As he suspected, a very distinctive tatoo  
  
was there. "He's the Watcher we were supposed to meet, too. They all have  
  
this tatoo on the wrist."  
  
"Who do you think killed him? Kane?"  
  
"It looks like it," MacLeod said. "He was killed by a single  
  
swordthrust, right to the heart."  
  
Lita watched Duncan take out his cell phone and call Dawson to give  
  
him the bad news. While he was talking to the Watcher, she felt something  
  
underfoot when she shifted her feet. Looking down, she saw a mini-cassette  
  
recorder. "This mean anything?" she asked, holding it up.  
  
"I'll get back to you, Dawson." Duncan took the recorder and  
  
examined it. "Voice activated, and it's still working. If we're lucky,  
  
it's got the information he was going to give us on it." He glanced  
  
around. No one else had spotted the body yet, but it was only a matter  
  
of time. "Come on. Let's get out of the area and then find out what's  
  
on this."  
  
"Come ON, Serena!" Raye pulled on Serena's arm, practically dragging  
  
her out the door.  
  
Luna had been waiting patiently for them out front. 'Oh, no,' she  
  
thought. 'Here we go again.' This was exactly what she had dreaded when  
  
Raye had volunteered that morning. What was puzzling to her was why it  
  
had taken so long to materialize.  
  
"Do you mind, Raye? I hadn't finished my ice cream yet!"  
  
Raye gave Serena a look which would have melted several small  
  
glaciers, causing her to take a step back. "We're SUPPOSED to be looking  
  
for a guy who want to kill you, remember? Along with that other  
  
Immortal."  
  
Serena sighed. "We've been looking for them all day, Raye. I'm  
  
completely exhausted."  
  
Raye threw her hands up in frustration and stalked off, heading in  
  
the direction of the temple. "I give up! I should have gone with Amy or  
  
Mina. I don't know why I got stuck with you!"  
  
Serena kept pace with her. "You volunteered, remember?"  
  
"Must have been temporary insanity," Raye growled. "Brought on by  
  
you actually getting someplace early." Serena glowered at that comment,  
  
but she held her tongue.  
  
"So why'd you do it?" Serena asked after they had walked a bit.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Volunteer to come with me?"  
  
"Somebody has to keep an eye on you. You certainly don't," Raye  
  
said automatically, then instantly regretted saying it. She braced  
  
herself for the inevitable reaction.  
  
Serena reacted alright, but it was hardly in the way Raye expected.  
  
She suddenly spun to face Raye, anger burning in her face. "Raye, I've  
  
HAD it with you constantly nagging me! Just stop it!" Before Raye  
  
could respond, she turned her back to her and stalked off.  
  
Raye watched her go with a stunned expression on her face. "Don't  
  
take it too hard, Raye," said Luna. "She barely slept at all last night.  
  
I expect it's made her a bit snappish."  
  
"Yeah," she said softly. "I guess so." She ran to catch up with  
  
Serena. "Don't worry, Serena. We'll find these guys soon."  
  
Serena suddenly stopped. "How about right now?" she said, staring  
  
straight ahead. A man was standing in their path several paces away.  
  
Marcus Kane took a couple of steps towards them. "Call MacLeod,"  
  
he instructed them harshly. "*Now*."  
  
Next - Chapter 4, "The Gauntlet is Thrown" 


	4. Chapter 4 - The Gauntlet is Thrown

Highlander Moon by Bill Harris  
  
soton@aol.com  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 4 - The Gauntlet is Thrown  
  
MacLeod walked rapidly down the hallway, pausing just long enough  
  
every now and then to check the room numbers. "This is it," he said to  
  
Lita, finally stopping in front of one door. "This is the place the  
  
Watcher mentioned on that tape."  
  
"Yeah, but was *he* right?" Lita asked, nervously glancing up and  
  
down the hallway. Something about this didn't feel right to her.  
  
"He was killed for a reason," Duncan answered. "Since his wallet  
  
was still with him, I'd guess it was because he followed Kane to this  
  
room." Before Lita could say anything else, Duncan moved on to the next  
  
door over and knocked on it. When no answer was forthcoming, he removed  
  
a lock pick from his jacket and started working on the door.  
  
"What are you doing?!?" Lita asked sharply, struggling to keep her  
  
voice down.  
  
"What does it look like?"  
  
"It looks like you're breaking into the wrong room!" she hissed.  
  
"What if someone is inside and just not answering the door?"  
  
"Then we'll apologize and leave," Duncan retorted, irritation  
  
creeping into his voice.  
  
"Is that before or after the police arrest us for breaking in?"  
  
Lita couldn't help but feel anxious. Charging headlong into battle  
  
against enemies from the Negaverse was one thing, but breaking and  
  
entering was not her style. At least not this kind of breaking and  
  
entering. Her own approach was much more direct. And she heartily  
  
wished she could indulge in a bit of it right now.  
  
"We'll leave quickly." The lock clicked open and he went rapidly  
  
inside, closing the door right behind Lita. Before Lita could ask what  
  
was next, he made his way to the window and threw it wide open.  
  
"You've got to be kidding," Lita said when she saw him checking out  
  
the ledge. "We're going in through the window?!?"  
  
MacLeod glanced back at her and grinned. "It should be the last  
  
thing anyone expects. "But you might want to transform first... Just in  
  
case."  
  
Lita sighed, but did ready her transformation pen. "Are you sure Kane  
  
is worth all this effort you're going to?"  
  
"I owe him," Duncan replied evenly.  
  
"Just because he saved your life about three hundred fifty years ago..."  
  
Duncan interrupted her with a sharp glance. "Who says that as the  
  
only time he saved my life?"  
  
  
  
Northern France - May, 1943  
  
Two men moved furtively through the French countryside. "Hurry, my  
  
friend. The Nazis must have seen that parachute as well."  
  
"I'm coming Robert. But not so fast. I'm not as young as I used to  
  
be."  
  
The Frenchman uttered a short laugh. "You must be joking, Duncan.  
  
You don't look a day over thirty."  
  
'Looks can be deceiving,' MacLeod thought as he followed his  
  
compatriot in the French Resistance. It was a bit risky for them to be  
  
moving about this way, but there was a purpose to their excursion. They  
  
had seen an Allied fighter shot down nearby, and were racing to get to the  
  
pilot before the German ground troops could. If they managed to get to  
  
him first, there was a chance they could smuggle him back to England. If  
  
the Germans got there first, then the best the pilot could look forward to  
  
was a quick trip to a POW camp.  
  
"I'm afraid we may be too late, my friend," Robert said when they  
  
finally found him several minutes later. His chute had hung up in a tree,  
  
and he was hanging limply in the harness only a few feet above the ground.  
  
The bullet holes in his flight jacket made it obvious why he was still.  
  
Robert grimaced in rage. "Those damned Germans must have strafed him as  
  
he was drifting downward. Well, let's at least cut him down."  
  
Duncan stiffened, feeling a familiar sensation ripple through his  
  
being. Another Immortal was nearby. And from the sounds he was hearing,  
  
it was unlikely that he was bringing friends. "No time for that. We have  
  
to get out of here!" Robert nodded in agreement, for he heard the sounds  
  
of German troops approaching as well. Unfortunately, they only got a few  
  
dozen feet away when they were surrounded by several troopers. Duncan's  
  
heart sank when he saw that they were from the SS.  
  
A major, evidently the commanding officer of this bunch, approached  
  
and looked them over carefully. Duncan instantly recognized him as the  
  
Immortal he had sensed, having had a brief encounter with him about a  
  
hundred years ago. But try as he might, he couldn't place his name.  
  
"Well, what have we here? Your papers, if you please."  
  
"We are just travelers, Herr Major," Robert began while he and  
  
Duncan produced their falsified identification papers. "We saw the pilot  
  
come down nearby, and came here to capture him. We found him dead, so we  
  
started to continue on our way."  
  
The Major looked to one of the soldiers that had just examined the  
  
pilot. He nodded, confirming that Robert was telling the truth about the  
  
pilot. The Major gave the papers only a half hearted look before he  
  
addressed them again. "A valiant effort, but we both know the truth.  
  
You're both members of the French Resistance." Ignoring Robert's protests,  
  
he said to a sergeant, "Take this one in for interrogation. I'll handle  
  
the other one," meaning MacLeod, "on my own. But bind him first."  
  
The sergeant saluted and rushed to obey. In seconds, MacLeod's  
  
hands were securely bound behind his back, leaving no possibility that  
  
he could get them free. Then they rushed Robert off, leaving MacLeod and  
  
the Major alone. MacLeod glared at him as soon as they were out of  
  
earshot, "Afraid to face me in single combat?"  
  
The German officer laughed. "No, but I'm no fool either, MacLeod."  
  
Evidently he knew more about MacLeod than vice versa. "But you have a  
  
reputation as an excellent fighter. Why take the chance when I don't  
  
have to?" He brandished his sword, waving it idly. "I'll just have to  
  
make some false report about you being killed trying to escape. And who's  
  
going to notice one more corpse in this war, hmm?"  
  
Duncan opened his mouth to snap back a retort, but before he could  
  
he once again felt the sensation through and around his being that  
  
signified the presence of another Immortal. From his expression, it was  
  
evident that the Major felt it too. Duncan look first to his left and then  
  
to his right and spotted pilot they had all presumed dead. The pilot took  
  
his helmet and goggles off and Duncan instantly recognized him. "Kane..."  
  
"I'd notice," Kane told the Major, producing his own weapon for  
  
emphasis.  
  
The major leveled his rapier at Kane. "This is between MacLeod and  
  
me. You have no right to interfere."  
  
"If one goes strictly by the rules, you're absolutely right," Kane  
  
conceded. "But afterwards..." He paused for effect, smiling wickedly.  
  
"...you're mine."  
  
MacLeod could see debate on the Major's face. Yes, he could take  
  
MacLeod's head, but after the Quickening, he'd be weak and relatively  
  
helpless... easy meat for Kane. And there was no guarantee that Kane  
  
wouldn't go after him if he fled. That left only one reasonable  
  
recourse. With an incoherent cry, he charged Kane.  
  
The fight was furious but fairly brief. Kane countered all the  
  
Major's moves but kept to the defensive at first, evaluating his  
  
opponent. Then he countered with his own furious offensive, battering  
  
down the Major's guard and slashing him on the arm.  
  
Kane held back his final attack for a moment. "I recognize some of  
  
those moves. I know who your Teacher is."  
  
The Major barked a short, bitter laugh. "If you want to know where  
  
he is, I don't know. But I wouldn't tell you even if I did!"  
  
"Your funeral," Kane replied, and he attacked. Two swift blows from  
  
his blade put his opponents weapon well out of position and then Kane  
  
struck one last savage blow, decapitating the Major. Duncan watched  
  
silently as the lightning effect of the Quickening played over Kane.  
  
Kane staggered over to the Highlander once the pyrotechnic display  
  
was over, and severed his bonds. "You've got to learn to be more careful,  
  
MacLeod."  
  
"Me be more careful?" MacLeod snorted. "Like I should take advice  
  
from a man who just got himself shot up and shot down?"  
  
"Hey," Kane said defensively, "it was three to one. I got two."  
  
Both men laughed a bit at that. Kane took a swift look about them  
  
"We'd better get out of here. That display is bound to attract some  
  
attention."  
  
"True," MacLeod replied. He gestured down the lane where the Nazi  
  
squad had gone. "I have to see about getting Robert out of the Nazi's  
  
hands."  
  
"Need some help?" Kane asked. "I believe I'm off duty at the  
  
moment."  
  
"Thanks, but you'd better get yourself back to England," he replied.  
  
He took a moment to look Kane over. "By the way, when did you become a  
  
flier, anyway?"  
  
Kane smiled. "I started in the last war, and I've been doing it off  
  
and on ever since. I've been flying with the RAF since the war started.  
  
If I get 'killed', I figure I can work my way over to the Pacific and fly  
  
for the Americans."  
  
The Highlander snorted. "I can't imagine an Immortal, especially as  
  
old as you are, becoming enamored with flight."  
  
"Ah, I've always been that way, MacLeod. Besides..." Kane shrugged,  
  
"you've got to bend with the times."  
  
  
  
Tokyo, present day  
  
"So he's saved your life twice," Jupiter commented, her  
  
transformation complete. "Now I see why your so motivated to help him."  
  
"It's not just that," MacLeod said as he stepped out onto the ledge.  
  
"I'm motivated because he's a friend. How many times he's save my life  
  
aren't an issue."  
  
Jupiter followed him out the window. "You'd go through all this  
  
just because he's a friend?"  
  
MacLeod had already started working on opening the window, but now  
  
he paused and looked evenly at the tall Scout. "How far would you go for  
  
a friend?"  
  
"Point taken," was the only reply she had to that question. "Now can  
  
you hurry up with that?"  
  
MacLeod smiled, but he did return to his task. "Nervous?"  
  
Jupiter risked a quick glance at the street below them before she  
  
answered. "Hey, running rooftop to rooftop is one thing, but this is  
  
something altogether different."  
  
That gave the Highlander pause. "Rooftop to rooftop?"  
  
"Just open the window."  
  
He nodded, and tripped open the last latch. "Your wish is my  
  
command," he quipped as he swung it open.  
  
"Oh, you're a barrels of laughs." Jupiter followed MacLeod into  
  
the apartment and looked around. The room was adequately furnished, if  
  
a bit on the spartan side. There wasn't anything that gave it a  
  
distinctively personal touch however. It felt more like a hotel room than  
  
an apartment. "So what are we looking for?"  
  
"I wish I knew." MacLeod glanced into the bedroom, but there  
  
wasn't anything in there to indicated anybody had used it recently. "I  
  
was half hoping we'd find Kane here. And that we'd be able to figure  
  
out what's wrong with him."  
  
"Hey, all we need in to get him into Mercury's range. She'd have  
  
it figured out in a few minutes," Jupiter said, her voice full of  
  
confidence in her friend. She stepped into the kitchen and scrutinized  
  
it with a critical eye. "Geez, what'd they do to furnish this place?  
  
Order everything from the Sears catalog?"  
  
MacLeod skimmed quickly through the items on the coffee table. "I  
  
hope you're right about Mercury. Because if she can't figure out, there  
  
may be only one thing to do."  
  
Jupiter stepped out of the kitchen. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, that if we can't figure out what's wrong with Kane, I may  
  
have to deal with him. Permanently."  
  
Jupiter was stunned. "You mean kill him? But... Like you said, he's  
  
your friend! He's saved your life."  
  
"I know that!" MacLeod replied tersely. "But I can't afford to split  
  
my attention between him and helping you protect Sailor Moon from Mornay.  
  
When all is said and done, there's only one way to stop an Immortal who's  
  
gone bad."  
  
"There's always another way," Jupiter insisted.  
  
"I hope you're right," MacLeod agreed quietly. "But I know that Kane  
  
would want me to do it, if that's what it came down to."  
  
Jupiter opened her mouth to argue the point further, but in that  
  
moment she felt a cold tingle run down her spine and the hairs on the back  
  
of her neck started to stand on end. "Uh... Duncan? I think we've got a  
  
problem."  
  
"Adding understatement to your list of failings, I see." Jupiter  
  
spun around and saw Malachite finish materializing in front of the door.  
  
Belatedly realizing that this was an elaborate trap, MacLeod  
  
started for the window but it slammed shut before he could take more than  
  
a single step. There was the audible sound of the lock clicking and he  
  
just knew that there was no way he'd be able to force it again. "I  
  
suppose you think you've got us," he told Malachite.  
  
Malachite smiled thinly. "I know I've got you. I was hoping you'd  
  
bring Sailor Moon here, but I'll settle for eliminating Sailor Jupiter."  
  
MacLeod smiled. "Not if we escape first."  
  
"There is no escape," the Negaverse General insisted.  
  
"Guess again." Malachite's eyes widened in surprise when MacLeod,  
  
heedless of the fact that they were eight stories up, charged at the  
  
window and hurled himself through the glass. The glass shattered under  
  
the impact, and MacLeod sailed over the ledge and out of sight.  
  
"Duncan!" Jupiter lingered in the apartment only long enough to  
  
throw a ball of lightning at Malachite before she followed the Highlander  
  
out the window and began a her own, albeit more controlled, descent.  
  
Malachite moved quickly to the window. Looking down, he saw  
  
MacLeod's still form in the middle of the street. Jupiter was just  
  
getting to ground level and a crowd was starting to gather around them.  
  
He started to gather his powers to strike them both, the sound of car  
  
brakes squealing startled him before he could act. The next thing he  
  
knew, Jupiter had bundled MacLeod into the back seat and was getting in  
  
herself even as it was pulling away. "Damn!"  
  
  
  
Jupiter watched as Dawson drove as rapidly as he could down the  
  
street. "How'd you manage to be right there just then?"  
  
"Dumb luck," Dawson replied. "I wouldn't have been if MacLeod  
  
hadn't called me about the Watcher you were supposed to meet. I had  
  
just gotten there to check for myself when I saw MacLeod jump through  
  
the window. You OK?"  
  
"Yeah, but I think Duncan is still dead."  
  
Dawson risked a quick glance of MacLeod in the rear view mirror. He  
  
was a mess to put it mildly, but that was to be expected after crashing  
  
through a window and falling eight floors. "Trust me, he's been worse."  
  
Jupiter looked uncertainly at Dawson. "I'm not sure I want you to  
  
elaborate on that." A beeping sound alerted her and she took out her  
  
communicator. "Jupiter here. What's up?"  
  
Raye's image formed on the viewer. "Is MacLeod there?"  
  
"Sort of," Jupiter answered. She glanced at him, but he still  
  
wasn't moving. "He's a little... dead at the moment."  
  
Raye blinked, but rapidly recovered. "Well, get him here as soon as  
  
you can. Kane's here with me and Serena."  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Jupiter saw Dawson react to this  
  
statement. She was shocked herself, but she managed to keep from shouting  
  
her next question. "What's he want?"  
  
"MacLeod, for now," Raye answered. "Just get here ASAP."  
  
"On my way." She click the communicator off and leaned forward.  
  
"Did you hear that?"  
  
Dawson nodded while making a left turn. "Yeah, I did. I'm already  
  
heading for the Temple."  
  
"You know how to get there?"  
  
"I'm a Watcher," came Dawson's confident reply. "Information is my  
  
business."  
  
  
  
Amy shook her head. "I think it's time to call the others."  
  
"Don't be silly," Mina assured her. "So far, all we've seen is  
  
Mornay wandering around town. I bet he's been looking for us. Well, I  
  
or one would like to know where he's operating from."  
  
"I though our goal was finding him," Artemis tried to remind her.  
  
"And we did," Mina reminded him. "Now we're going to find out where  
  
he's working from. And maybe we'll get lucky and find Kane, too." She  
  
glanced up and felt a small surge of panic. Mornay had been just down  
  
the street a second ago, but now he was nowhere to be found. "Where'd  
  
he go?!?"  
  
"Down that alley," Amy replied calmly.  
  
"I'll check it out," Artemis said immediately. "Wait here." Not  
  
waiting for their reply, the white feline ran ahead of them and paused  
  
at the alley entrance. He took a long look down that way, but he saw  
  
nothing out of the ordinary down there.  
  
"See anything?" Artemis nearly jumped out of his skin at the  
  
question, but he managed to regain some of his composure and return his  
  
attention to Mina.  
  
"I thought I told you to wait back there?!?"  
  
"Oh, you worry too much, Artemis," she assured him.  
  
"You don't worry enough," he said.  
  
"Tough," she shot back. "Did you see anything or not?"  
  
"I'm afraid not," he admitted. "It looks like he vanished into  
  
thin air." He paused, listening to senses other than sight or sound.  
  
Finally he whispered, "I'm getting a bad feeling about this..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Mina asked, but he never got a chance to answer.  
  
For at that moment, an insistent beeping sound filled the air around  
  
them.  
  
Amy was the first to answer it. "Yes?"  
  
"We've got a problem," Jupiter answered. "Kane's at the Temple with  
  
Raye and Serena."  
  
"We're on our way," Mina answered without any hesitation. All  
  
thoughts of Mornay instantly forgotten, she and Amy were on their way to  
  
the temple with Artemis in close pursuit.  
  
The alley entrance was still for a couple of more minute, but then  
  
a large figure skulked out of it. Mornay glanced up and down the street,  
  
oblivious to the reaction his lizard-like form drew. 'Odd,' he thought.  
  
'I was certain I felt one of them following...'  
  
  
  
Kane look idly about the small clearing, one of many around the  
  
grounds of the Temple. "I hope MacLeod gets here soon."  
  
"Is that a threat?" Serena asked. She and Raye stood together only  
  
a couple of paces from Kane. She would have liked to have been further  
  
away from him, but Kane had been careful to keep them close. Well  
  
within reach of his sword should either of them try to transform.  
  
"Merely an observation," Kane replied, his voice infernally calm.  
  
"Sounded like a threat to me," Raye countered. One more time she  
  
went over the options available to her and Serena, but they were proving  
  
very few and risky as well. They could try to split up, but Kane would  
  
surely be able to get one of them at least... And she wasn't about to  
  
take a chance with Serena's life. Especially not now, so soon after  
  
their failed attempt to snare Malachite in a trap of their own. No, the  
  
only viable option she saw was to wait and be ready to transform at a  
  
moments notice.  
  
Kane opened his mouth to reply to her, but some movement across  
  
the clearing caught his eye. A moment later, MacLeod emerged into the  
  
clearing, making a motion to whoever was behind him to stay there.  
  
"What happened to him?" Serena whispered, shocked. Raye didn't  
  
answer, but she silently agreed with Serena. Duncan's hair was  
  
disheveled, his clothes were torn in several places and there were  
  
several bloodstains as well. In short, it looked like he had been  
  
through a small war.  
  
Keeping his gaze on Kane, the Highlander took several steps toward  
  
the trio. However, his first words were to Serena and Raye. "You two  
  
OK?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Never better," Raye replied. "We're in a good shape  
  
as you."  
  
"Glad to hear it," Duncan replied, ignoring the sarcasm laced  
  
within her reply. He took a step towards Kane, and stood toe to toe  
  
with the older Immortal. "This isn't exactly your style."  
  
"It was the easiest way to get your attention," he replied. "We  
  
need to talk."  
  
MacLeod nodded. "What do you say we talk in private?" He gestured  
  
to a spot on the far side of the clearing.  
  
Kane glanced in that direction and then nodded. "Sounds good to me."  
  
"Lead on," MacLeod said. As he started to follow Kane, he glanced  
  
quickly to Serena and Raye. "Stay here. Let me handle this," he  
  
instructed.  
  
Raye was instantly fuming and Serena didn't look to happy either.  
  
But neither said anything while the two Immortals moved away from them.  
  
Instead they went over to where Duncan had first entered the clearing.  
  
Hidden among the foliage, Sailor Jupiter waited there and kept watch as  
  
MacLeod had asked her. When Serena got closer, she could see that  
  
Jupiter wasn't alone. Both Amy and Mina were there as well, evidently  
  
arriving just after MacLeod had.  
  
"What happened to Duncan?" Serena asked Jupiter almost immediately,  
  
her curiosity getting the better of her. "He looks like he just went  
  
through a war!"  
  
"Maybe Lita just showed him a very rough time," Amy said innocently.  
  
Jupiter immediately flushed a bright red at the insinuation. "It  
  
wasn't anything like that! He just jumped out a window eight stories up."  
  
Mina blinked. "Wow. What'd you do to make him try and get away from  
  
you like that?"  
  
"It wasn't me he was running away from!" Jupiter strove desperately  
  
to keep her voice down, and for the most part succeeded. She took a deep  
  
breath before continuing. "We were checking a place out, but it turned  
  
out it was a trap set by Malachite. Duncan crashed through the window to  
  
open up a way for me to escape."  
  
"First two Immortals and now Malachite shows up," Serena muttered,  
  
any notion of teasing Jupiter further forgotten. "This just gets better  
  
and better."  
  
"'Let me handle this', he says," Raye muttered, still fuming. "Who  
  
does he think he is?"  
  
"Same as he always does. Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod," a  
  
voice behind her answered.  
  
Raye had opened her mouth to reply when it suddenly occurred to her  
  
that the person answering her had a masculine voice. She whirled about  
  
and saw a familiar form just behind Mina. "Dawson! What are you doing  
  
here?!?"  
  
"Could you say that a little louder?" the Watcher asked her. "I  
  
don't think they quite heard you in Vladisvostok."  
  
"He brought Duncan and me here, Raye," Jupiter explained. "After  
  
Duncan jumped out the window, he was there in a car and gave us a lift  
  
out of there."  
  
"That was awfully convenient," Mina said, eyeing the Watcher.  
  
"They found a dead Watcher in the area," Dawson said tersely. "I  
  
wanted to make sure before I went to tell his wife about it."  
  
A pallor fell over the conversation. "Sorry," Mina said heartfeltly.  
  
"Forget about it," Dawson replied. "It's not the first time I've  
  
lost a Watcher. Just try not to be so suspicious, OK? I get enough of  
  
that from him." He pointed to MacLeod.  
  
"Do you mind answering a question?" Amy asked. "The Watchers  
  
are evidently a large, worldwide organization. You could have assisted  
  
Duncan by phone. Why did you come here?"  
  
Dawson took a moment before responding. "Two reasons. One, I've  
  
been watching MacLeod for a long time. And over the years, I've come  
  
to admire him. He's the best of the Immortals, everything that one of  
  
them should be. And I consider him a friend as well." He paused and  
  
looked to each of them. "And that gives us something in common, I  
  
think."  
  
"You got that right," Mina said. "And your second reason?"  
  
"Whatever's going on here, it's a lot bigger than the Immortals  
  
and the Game. I figured I could help out more on the scene."  
  
Raye got the feeling that Dawson knew more that he was letting on,  
  
but she chose to let that pass for the moment. She returned her  
  
attention to the two Immortals. "I wish I knew what they were talking  
  
about."  
  
"Who knows?" Dawson said. "They've got almost three hundred fifty  
  
years of history to talk about... Plus they haven't seen each other in  
  
almost fifty."  
  
"What I can't figure out is why Kane is just talking to Duncan,"  
  
Serena said. "I figured they'd start fighting as soon as Duncan got  
  
here.  
  
Dawson now looked amused. "Didn't you tell them about the Holy  
  
Ground rule?" he asked Mina.  
  
"We haven't had time to go over all the rules of the Game," Luna  
  
replied tersely.  
  
Dawson blinked. He evidently hadn't seen Luna down there, but he  
  
didn't seem surprised to hear her talk. "You know about them, too?"  
  
"He's not the first Immortal I've met," the black cat replied.  
  
"Will someone please answer my question?" a frustrated Serena said.  
  
"Immortals don't fight each other on Holy Ground, Serena," Mina  
  
explained. "It's the first and most important rule they live by."  
  
"That, and 'In the end, there can be only one'," Dawson put in.  
  
"And the rule isn't specific to any one religion, either," Luna  
  
added.  
  
"I see, " Amy said. "Then if it's Holy Ground in any religion,  
  
then it's forbidden for them to fight there. It doesn't matter if it's  
  
here, the Sistine Chapel, the Rock on the Mount, the Wailing Wall..."  
  
"Wailing Wall? You mean there's a religious shrine named after  
  
Serena?" Raye asked.  
  
"Very funny, Raye," Serena growled out.  
  
"What happens if someone gets beheaded on Holy Ground?" Luna  
  
asked, hoping to head off another Raye/Serena clash. "I never learned  
  
that."  
  
"Hard to say for sure. There's something in the Watcher records,  
  
but it's more or less a legend now," Dawson said. "Supposedly there was  
  
a beheading on Holy Ground once."  
  
"And?" Mina asked.  
  
"If the records are accurate, it happened in the year 79. In a  
  
Roman city called Pompeii."  
  
"Oh, my," Amy said. "You mean...? Mount Vesuvius?"  
  
Dawson nodded. "That's the legend."  
  
  
  
"You still haven't answered my questions, Kane." MacLeod was  
  
getting a bit frustrated. He had been trying to get Kane to tell him  
  
what was going on, but the older Immortal evaded answering, preferring  
  
instead to return to why he had come here in the first place. And it  
  
was a subject that MacLeod would prefer not to discuss. Not with a  
  
friend. "What's going on?"  
  
"Why don't you answer me first, MacLeod. Why are you here? What  
  
are they to you?" He nodded his head in the direction of Serena and Raye.  
  
He could tell they were talking with others hidden behind the foliage, but  
  
he didn't care at the moment.  
  
Duncan didn't hesitate. "Friends."  
  
Kane raised and eyebrow. "I would think they were a little young to  
  
be your type." He crossed his arms and his face took on a speculative  
  
look. "Now, if we were talking about Fitzcairn I might be able to buy it..."  
  
"They're just friends," MacLeod reiterated strongly. "Until now I  
  
had thought you understood the meaning of the word. But I'm not so sure  
  
anymore."  
  
MacLeod thought he saw a flicker of anger in Kane's eyes, but his  
  
face remained otherwise impassive. "Times change MacLeod. And so do I."  
  
MacLeod snorted. "Yeah, right. Nobody changes this much. For as  
  
long as I've known you, you'd die rather than go after a friend. When we  
  
last met you put yourself at risk for me... but today you tried to kill me  
  
the moment you saw me. I want to know why... Now!"  
  
"Very well," Kane said. "Simply put, you're in our way."  
  
MacLeod wasn't sure he heard right. "You're working with Mornay?"  
  
"You could say we have the same employer."  
  
"Malachite." The way Duncan said it made it clear it wasn't a  
  
question. Kane didn't even try to refute it. "But why work with  
  
Mornay? I've heard about your history with him. You've been after him  
  
for centuries."  
  
"Let's just say Malachite made me an offer I couldn't refuse," Kane  
  
replied. "It was originally supposed to be just Mornay going after the  
  
Scouts, but then you stumbled onto the scene. So I was given the task  
  
of dealing with you."  
  
Duncan shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe I'm hearing  
  
this."  
  
"Believe it," Kane said flatly. "I think I've answered your  
  
questions, Highlander, so now we'll discuss why I... 'arranged' for this  
  
little meeting. We have been friends, so I'll give you the chance to  
  
withdraw from the picture..."  
  
"I can't do that and you know it."  
  
"Very well," Kane said. "Then we shall have to settle this the way  
  
our kind has always settled matters."  
  
MacLeod took a moment before he answered. "You're not going to give  
  
me a choice, are you?"  
  
"Of course you have a choice. It's either that or..." Kane's  
  
voiced trailed off and he looked over towards where Serena and Raye  
  
were standing.  
  
MacLeod had no trouble deciphering the implied threat. "All right,"  
  
he said tightly. "Where and when?"  
  
"Tonight at midnight. I'll let you set the place."  
  
"There's a clock tower in the park across the street. I'll be  
  
there."  
  
Kane raised a warning finger. "Just make sure you're alone,  
  
MacLeod. No Sailor Scouts."  
  
"Don't worry about me," MacLeod shot back. "I'll be alone. Just  
  
make sure the same applies to you as well."  
  
"Relax MacLeod," Kane assured him. "It'll be just you, me... and  
  
our blades. Until then." Kane walked away, leaving a fuming Highlander behind.  
  
Neither Immortal had noticed the white feline perched in the  
  
branches above them.  
  
  
  
MacLeod watched as Kane strode off, his thoughts in a turmoil.  
  
There should have been a way for him to avoid things coming to this, but  
  
at the moment he couldn't think of any.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Duncan turned to his right and found himself  
  
confronted by a very angry Raye. He noted that the others, standing  
  
close behind her, also looked more or less displeased. "You're just  
  
letting him walk away?!?"  
  
"We've said what we had to say to each other." He looked again  
  
where Kane had gone. "You don't have to worry about Kane."  
  
"Why? Because he promised to leave us alone?" Raye didn't bother  
  
to keep the disbelief out of her voice.  
  
"Because we agreed to finish this tonight... one way or another."  
  
That statement got several looks of surprise. "You're going to  
  
fight him?" Lita asked. Although they hadn't been around MacLeod for long,  
  
it had been time enough for all of them to instantly understand just what  
  
that meant.  
  
"That's what I said," he replied, his voice tinged with anger.  
  
"Duncan, you said he was your friend!" Mina exclaimed. "He saved  
  
your life!"  
  
"Twice!" Lita put in.  
  
"Don't you think I know that?!?" Duncan asked hotly. "But he's  
  
working with Mornay now. There's no other way. Unless..." He looked  
  
to Amy. "Unless you managed to find something which would explain this."  
  
Amy frowned. "Nothing concrete, I'm afraid. I did get some odd  
  
readings but I'm not sure what they mean at the moment."  
  
"Then that's it," Duncan said with a note finality in his voice.  
  
"There is no other way."  
  
Serena shook her head. "There's always another way. I don't want  
  
you to kill a friend for me."  
  
"There isn't another way, Serena. Not when Immortals are involved.  
  
In the end there can be only one," Duncan reiterated. "I always knew I  
  
might have to face him one day."  
  
Dawson chose that moment to speak up. "It still doesn't have to  
  
come to that, MacLeod. Listen to them, maybe they can help sort this  
  
out."  
  
"You stay out of this, Dawson," Duncan told him. "You're not  
  
supposed to interfere, remember?"  
  
"Listed on your own card," Mina said at Dawson's grimace.  
  
He might have been a fan of Sailor V's exploits, but evidently  
  
Dawson wasn't familiar with Mina's ability to mangle a proverb. He  
  
looked at her, his face taking on a look of confusion. "What?"  
  
"Maybe he's not supposed to interfere, but that doesn't apply to  
  
us!" Raye stated, ignoring both Dawson's confusion and Amy correcting  
  
Mina.  
  
"Right!" Serena agreed. "I bet Malachite messed with your friend's  
  
mind. A little dose of Moon Healing should clear that right up."  
  
"Sounds good to me," Lita agreed. "So where and when's the big  
  
showdown supposed to be."  
  
MacLeod shook his head. "Forget it."  
  
"What?!?" five voices said at once. "Are you crazy?" Raye asked  
  
him again.  
  
"I agreed to come alone," MacLeod explained. "And I keep my word."  
  
"But --" Serena started.  
  
"Look, it's been a long day for everyone," MacLeod said. "Why  
  
don't you get some rest, and then we'll start looking for Mornay in  
  
the morning."  
  
"Now wait a minute..." Lita began, but Duncan was already walking  
  
away.  
  
Mina watched him depart and frowned. "You know, he tried to  
  
something like this in London. Then he thought it was too dangerous for  
  
me."  
  
"That's MacLeod for you," Dawson observed. "He's always too  
  
honorable or too gallant for his own good. It's both his best and most  
  
annoying trait."  
  
Raye glowered. "What good's it gonna do if he gets himself  
  
killed?"  
  
"Raye's right," Serena said. "He should at least know where this  
  
showdown's going to take place. If for no other reason so that we can  
  
watch his back."  
  
Lita turned to Dawson. "You're a Watcher. Can't you put some sort  
  
of tail on him and see where he goes?"  
  
Dawson shrugged. "I could try but it might not do any good. He  
  
knows about us and a good deal about our methods. He'll be watching for  
  
some sort of shadow. And if I know him, he'd probably let himself be  
  
followed for a time, then break the tail halfway across town from where  
  
the action's going to be."  
  
Artemis walked up beside Dawson. "You could try the clock tower in  
  
the park at midnight."  
  
All eyes turned to the cat. "How do you know that, Artemis?" Mina  
  
asked.  
  
"Ah, we guardian cats have our methods," Artemis replied  
  
enigmatically.  
  
"You mean you were eavesdropping," Luna snapped.  
  
Artemis was unrepentant. "Can I help it if they didn't check to see  
  
if any cats were listening?"  
  
Dawson nodded approvingly. "I couldn't have done better myself.  
  
We could use someone like you in the Watchers. You need a job?"  
  
"err..." Artemis began.  
  
"OK then," Serena interrupted. "We'll let Duncan try it his way at  
  
first. But if we figure out a way to stop Kane without killing him, or  
  
if those Negaverse creeps try anything, the Sailor Scout go into action!  
  
Right?"  
  
"Right!"  
  
  
  
Entering the apartment Malachite had elected to use as a base of  
  
operations, Horton paused and surveyed the damage. "I take it we had  
  
visitors?" he asked calmly.  
  
"MacLeod and Sailor Jupiter," Malachite replied tersely.  
  
"So the trap we baited with that Watcher managed to draw something  
  
here," Horton observed. "What happened?"  
  
"MacLeod jumped through the window," Malachite said. "After that,  
  
Jupiter managed to escape on her own."  
  
"Ah, I see. MacLeod's gallant streak rears it's head once more,"  
  
Horton said. He moved to the window and casually glanced outside. "After  
  
all, what's an eight story fall to an Immortal?"  
  
Malachite cast an irritated glare at his ally. "You seem to be  
  
taking this rather well."  
  
"That is because I have other news. Kane confronted MacLeod earlier  
  
and challenged him. I have no doubt that MacLeod will be there as Kane  
  
instructed... Alone."  
  
Malachite nodded, digesting this bit of news. "The Scouts will be  
  
there," he said after a moment.  
  
Horton smiled. "No doubt they will. But I'm sure that MacLeod has  
  
drilled them on the rules, and that they will honor his desire to stay out  
  
of the combat. But if they show themselves... Well, we'll make sure Mornay  
  
is there to greet them properly."  
  
Malachite wasn't so certain. "What if MacLeod defeats Kane?"  
  
"Are you always this much a pessimist?" Horton replied. "In any  
  
event, the outcome of this duel is moot. Once it is over, MacLeod will  
  
be finished. And if the Sailor Scouts are there, then Mornay will deal  
  
with them as well." He paused and smiled thinly. "Once and for all."  
  
  
  
Next time: "There can be only one..." 


	5. Chapter 5 - There can be only one...

Chapter 5 - There can be only one...  
  
"Are you sure I can't talk you out of this?"  
  
MacLeod sighed. He was beginning to regret coming back  
  
here, but he needed some rest before his appointment with Kane.  
  
Still, it might have been worth the hassle of finding a hotel  
  
room if it meant avoiding Lita's intense stare. "No."  
  
Never one to give up, Lita kept the pressure on. "You  
  
should at least tell us where this showdown's going to take  
  
place. I know you don't want us to interfere, but we can at  
  
least cover your back."  
  
"I told Kane I would come alone," Duncan reiterated. "I  
  
keep my promises, Lita."  
  
"And Kane?"  
  
"He said he'd be alone as well. I trust him at his word."  
  
Lita snorted, not bothering to hide her disbelief.  
  
"Maybe *you* trust him, but what about Mornay? Or Malachite?  
  
They set one trap for us today... this could be another."  
  
MacLeod knew she had a point, but his mind was made up  
  
on this matter. He picked up his jacket and headed for the  
  
door, putting an end to the discussion. "I'll see you in  
  
the morning."  
  
"With or without your head?"  
  
Despite the situation, Duncan couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Don't worry. I can take care of myself." He opened the door  
  
and paused, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Promise me  
  
you're not going to try and follow me," he asked her.  
  
"Who, me?" she replied innocently. The look MacLeod gave  
  
her made it plain that he wasn't buying it. "OK, I promise.  
  
I won't follow you. And neither will the others."  
  
"Good," he said, evidently satisfied with that. He  
  
stepped out the door and closed it behind him.  
  
Lita waited a minute, then took out her communicator.  
  
"We don't have to follow you, pal. We'll already be there."  
  
She thumbed it on, and to her surprise, Serena's face was the  
  
one that came into view. But what was not a surprise was that  
  
a slurping sound came through the speakers at the same time.  
  
"He's on his way."  
  
"Great," Serena responded. "We're all set here. We found  
  
a good spot where we can keep on eye on things without being  
  
spotted."  
  
"You mean Mina and Dawson found a good spot," Raye said  
  
from somewhere out of range of the viewer. "*You* have just  
  
been sitting here reading my comic books and drinking sodas."  
  
"Hey!" Serena said indignantly. "I've been doing more  
  
than that!"  
  
"You're right," Raye said. Serena's face showed some  
  
satisfaction until Raye added, "You've also been eating like  
  
a pig."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Lita didn't bother hiding her smile now. It sounded  
  
like things were getting back to normal. Or at least what  
  
passed for normal for them. "I'll be there in a bit. Just  
  
don't leave without me."  
  
  
  
MacLeod stopped in front of the clock tower and glance up  
  
at it. It was still a couple of minute until midnight, but he  
  
had been there for almost half an hour... just in case. As yet  
  
there was no sign of Kane, but he had no doubts that he would  
  
show up. His feeling was confirmed when, just as the clock  
  
struck twelve, he felt the familiar sensation ringing through  
  
his head. Kane stepped from behind the clock and faced him.  
  
"Still punctual, I see," he observed.  
  
"Likewise." Kane glanced around the area. "I see you  
  
came alone as we agreed."  
  
"Not quite." MacLeod reached into his jacket for his  
  
katana. "I brought my friend here."  
  
Kane smiled slightly. "Likewise," he replied, drawing  
  
out his own sword, a two handed blade.  
  
Both Immortals doffed their jackets, choosing to endure  
  
the chilly night air rather than hamper their mobility.  
  
Duncan settled himself into a defensive position, watching  
  
Kane carefully as he advanced towards him. "We don't have to  
  
do this, Kane," he said, making one last attempt to bring Kane  
  
to his senses. "We've been friends for a long time. I'd hate  
  
for it to end this way."  
  
Kane hesitated for a moment. Although his body was in an  
  
attack posture, Duncan could see it in his eyes that Kane  
  
didn't want this battle any more than he did. "I'm afraid I  
  
don't have a choice in the matter, Duncan," he finally  
  
replied, his voice heavy with regret.  
  
"There's always a choice," MacLeod insisted.  
  
"Not for me," Kane said. "Not anymore."  
  
By this point, Kane had gotten within a sword's reach of  
  
MacLeod. The two of them started circling, each observing  
  
the other's defenses. "Why?" MacLeod persisted. "Is  
  
Malachite blackmailing you somehow? Maybe there's something I  
  
can do to help."  
  
"I'm afraid the only thing you can do to help me is  
  
die."  
  
"Well, then we have a problem," MacLeod said. "Because  
  
I don't plan on dying tonight."  
  
"Neither do I," Kane replied as he swung his blade.  
  
  
  
From their carefully chosen hiding spot, eight observers  
  
kept a close eye on the two Immortals as they confronted each  
  
other. "I wish we could hear what they're saying," Jupiter  
  
said.  
  
"So do I," Sailor Moon said. "Why couldn't we get a  
  
closer hiding spot?"  
  
"You five have to keep far enough back so neither one of  
  
them can sense you, remember?" Dawson reminded her. "This was  
  
the closest spot we could find that gave us a good view and  
  
keep out of range."  
  
"He's right, Sailor Moon," Mars said. "I can't believe  
  
that even you would forget something as basic as that."  
  
Sailor Moon glared at Mars. "And just what is *that*  
  
supposed to mean?" she said, her voice starting to rise.  
  
"If you two don't pipe down, they're not going to need  
  
any sensing ability to know you're here," Dawson chided them.  
  
"Wait a minute." Mars frowned and looked up at the  
  
Watcher. "How'd you know they can sense us?"  
  
"We're supposed to be watching, not talking," he reminded  
  
her.  
  
"And if we're supposed to be out of sight, how come  
  
you're standing while we're crouching in the bushes," Mars  
  
persisted.  
  
"That's why I'm keeping close to this tree," he said.  
  
"Besides, my legs aren't made for crouching."  
  
"'Aren't made for crouching'?" Mars echoed. "What does  
  
that mean?"  
  
Mercury spoke up before Dawson could answer. "His legs  
  
are artificial, Mars." Mars blinked, surprised, and she  
  
wasn't alone. They had all seen Dawson using a cane since he  
  
had arrived, but with the exception of Mercury, none of them  
  
had guessed the reason. "I've been meaning to ask you: why do  
  
you have two artificial legs?" Mercury asked, then hastily  
  
amended, "If you don't mind me asking, that is."  
  
The Watcher shook his head. "Nah, I don't mind. It  
  
happened a long time ago, back when I was a soldier in Vietnam.  
  
I had an argument with a land mine." Dawson shrugged. "I  
  
lost."  
  
The sounds of steel clashing brought any further  
  
conversation to a halt. Dawson watched the opening strikes of  
  
the battle and felt his stomach twist nervously. "Here we go."  
  
  
  
MacLeod's world had contracted to a flurry of parries,  
  
strikes and counterstrikes. His mind was focussed on the  
  
task before him; analyzing Kane's attack, defending against it  
  
and looking for an opening to present itself.  
  
But a small segment of his mind was distracted from this.  
  
For too many openings were presenting themselves. Sure, Kane  
  
was covering them up rapidly, but for a swordsman of Kane's  
  
experience to display even half of them should be nearly  
  
impossible.  
  
MacLeod could only see three possibilities. Either  
  
Kane's fighting skills had deteriorated markedly since he had  
  
last seen him fight (unlikely), or Kane was toying with him  
  
(unlikely too, but possible considering Kane's changed  
  
personality), or...  
  
...Or Kane was fighting to lose.  
  
  
  
Duncan wasn't the only one to notice this. Dawson shook  
  
his head and muttered, "Something's wrong here."  
  
Jupiter looked up at him. "You mean other than the fact  
  
that Duncan is fighting a friend to the death?"  
  
"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean," Dawson replied,  
  
either missing her sarcasm or ignoring it completely. "Kane's  
  
fighting style is sloppy. A lot sloppier that it has any right  
  
to be."  
  
"Maybe he's out of practice?" Sailor Moon suggested.  
  
"Not by any report I've seen about him," Dawson said.  
  
"He's nearly obsessive about keeping up his fighting form.  
  
And I just went over his file on my flight to Japan." He  
  
hesitated a moment before adding, "It's as if Kane weren't  
  
fighting to win."  
  
Frowning, Sailor Moon started to turn back to the conflict  
  
but one look at Mars caused her to pause. She had a look of  
  
intense concentration on her face, one that Sailor Moon had  
  
gotten to know well since meeting her. It was one that  
  
inevitably heralded trouble. "Mars? What is it?"  
  
Mars' eyes narrowed as she watched the battle continue.  
  
"I sense something..."  
  
"I had a feeling it was something like that," Sailor Moon  
  
said worriedly. "Like what?"  
  
Mars waited a second before answering. "There's a third  
  
presence down there. I think."  
  
"You think?" Venus asked.  
  
"It's hard for me to be certain. One moment all I can  
  
sense is Kane and MacLeod, then in the next this third presence  
  
is there, and Kane's aura is dimmed."  
  
"Wait a minute," Dawson objected. "You were practically  
  
standing next to him earlier. How come you didn't notice it  
  
then?"  
  
"I had other things on my mind at that moment, OK?" she  
  
shot back, her voice rising.  
  
"Shhh!" Mercury cautioned them both. "We're trying to  
  
remain hidden, remember?"  
  
"Sorry," Dawson muttered.  
  
"Now, Mars. You said this intermittent phenomena was  
  
dimming Kane's aura?"  
  
"Yes. It's like a bunch of clouds moving in front of the  
  
Sun. One moment it's hidden by a cloud, the next it's shining  
  
brilliantly. One thing's for certain, though. When Kane's  
  
aura is dimmed, I'm sensing a definite presence of evil."  
  
Mercury said something under her breath and tapped in a  
  
rapid sequence into her computer. Sailor Moon watched her for  
  
a moment, then asked, "Does that mean something to you,  
  
Mercury?"  
  
"It might explain those anomalous readings I've been  
  
getting from Kane. I had thought it might be something to do  
  
with his Immortal nature, but that might have been an  
  
erroneous hypothesis on my part. Based on what Mars just  
  
told us, I'm making some adjustments to my scans to search  
  
for a sporadic phenomenon in Kane's readings. If I can filter  
  
out Kane's natural functions using scans I've made of Duncan  
  
as a baseline, I might be able to get a lock on what this is."  
  
Sailor Moon blinked, not understanding half of what  
  
Mercury just said. "Uh... OK, Mercury. Whatever you say."  
  
  
  
For what seemed like the hundredth time, Duncan mounted  
  
an attack on an opening Kane had presented him. Just like  
  
each and every previous occasion, Kane managed to get his  
  
sword back into position to parry, but what followed was  
  
completely different from the previous occasions. Kane winced  
  
for a split second, as if he felt a sting of pain in his neck,  
  
then he literally exploded into a flurry of retaliatory  
  
strikes. The change in his fighting style was dramatic, almost  
  
as if another persona had taken hold of him. Duncan suddenly  
  
found himself forced onto the defensive. Trying to buy a bit  
  
of time to recover, he retreated to the edge of the clearing,  
  
using the nearby trees to hinder Kane's blows.  
  
But almost immediately he felt a familiar sensation  
  
ringing through his head. Kane paused his offensive in the  
  
same instant, telling Duncan that he had felt it as well.  
  
The Scouts were nearby.  
  
  
  
Dawson had a good idea what caused the combat to pause.  
  
"Uh oh..." he breathed. "I think the cat's out of the bag."  
  
Luna blinked. With her attention centered on the battle,  
  
she had only partially heard Dawson's comment. "I beg your  
  
pardon?!" she said indignantly.  
  
  
  
"I thought you had agreed to come alone," Kane said,  
  
the accusation plain in his tone.  
  
"So did I," MacLeod replied. "I certainly didn't invite  
  
them here." He threw a glare into the surrounding trees.  
  
Kane arched an eyebrow. "You mean you were followed  
  
and didn't know it? You're getting sloppy, MacLeod."  
  
"I wasn't followed anywhere. As for me getting  
  
sloppy... we'll just have to see about that," MacLeod  
  
retorted, and he resumed his attack.  
  
  
  
Doing her best to ignore the increased pace of the  
  
combat, Mercury kept her attention firmly upon the scan  
  
readouts appearing on her visor. She had finally isolated  
  
the anomalous readings to the area of Kane's head and neck.  
  
She tapped quickly upon the keypad without looking, further  
  
refining the scan. Finally the results appeared, confirming  
  
the hypothesis she had formed. "I've got it!" She exclaimed.  
  
"There's definitely another lifeform present, and it's  
  
overriding most of Kane's EEG pattern."  
  
"Then you were right. He is being controlled," Dawson  
  
said. "Now for the sixty four thousand dollar question:  
  
Can it be removed?"  
  
"Yes," Mercury replied.  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Sailor Moon asked.  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
  
  
Duncan finally got his katana in under Kane's guard,  
  
scoring a direct strike to Kane's left shoulder. The older  
  
Immortal gasped at the pain, and his left arm hung limply at  
  
his side. With only one arm available (and his off arm at  
  
that), Kane was at a severe disadvantage with a two handed  
  
weapon. Duncan was easily able to disarm him, then brought  
  
his katana back for the final blow. "For what it's worth,  
  
Kane, I'm sorry."  
  
"Just get it over with," he replied in a strained and  
  
resigned voice.  
  
Not knowing what else to say, Duncan simply nodded and he  
  
started to swing his sword.  
  
Or he would have, had someone not grabbed his wrists in  
  
a viselike grip. Duncan glared at Sailor Jupiter. "What do  
  
you think you're doing?!?"  
  
The tall Scout didn't flinch from the ire in the  
  
Highlander's voice. "Keeping you from making a mistake you'll  
  
regret for the rest of your life," she said, looking him firmly  
  
in the eye.  
  
"And for an Immortal that could be a long time indeed,"  
  
Mercury put in.  
  
Venus came up beside Jupiter. "We told you we could  
  
help, Duncan. You should have listened to us."  
  
"What..." Duncan began to ask but Mars was already in the  
  
act of providing a demonstration. A thin slip of paper  
  
appeared in her hand, which she planted on Kane's forehead with  
  
a loud cry. Kane screamed in agony, and Duncan felt his jaw  
  
drop. Some creature had appeared at the base of Kane's neck,  
  
it's tendrils wrapped tightly around his neck. It mainly  
  
seemed to be a mass of flesh, one large eye being its only  
  
distinctive feature. "What the hell is that?"  
  
"High concentrations of negative energy," Mercury said as  
  
she viewed the creature through her visor. Now that it was  
  
revealed, she was able to get some clear readings of it.  
  
"There's no doubt about it. This is definitely from the  
  
Negaverse and it's how Malachite was controlling him." She  
  
turned to her friend. "Sailor Moon..."  
  
Sailor Moon already had the Crescent Wand out. "I'm way  
  
ahead of you, Mercury. It's time to get rid of that thing.  
  
"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!"  
  
Radiant white light streamed out from the wand, wrapping  
  
itself around Kane. A thin, keening scream emanated from the  
  
creature, which it echoed through it's connection to Kane.  
  
Then it began to shrivel up like a wilting flower, finally  
  
vanishing into itself and leaving only dust behind in it's wake.  
  
Kane blinked as if he were just waking up from a  
  
nightmare, which in a sense he was. Then he collapsed to  
  
the ground.  
  
"He's alright," Mercury assured MacLeod. "He's just  
  
physically exhausted."  
  
"Thanks," Duncan replied before turning to Jupiter. "I  
  
seem to remember that you promised me you weren't going to  
  
follow."  
  
"Hey, I kept my promise," Jupiter objected. "You didn't  
  
make me promise not to be here."  
  
"Then how..." Duncan's brow wrinkled in confusion for  
  
a moment, then a possible answer came to him. "It was  
  
Dawson, right? He followed me somehow and then called you."  
  
Venus shook her head. "Nope. Let's just say a little  
  
cat told us."  
  
"Cat?" Duncan look even more confused for a moment,  
  
then realization of what she meant dawned on him. He turned  
  
an accusing eye to the two cats. "Artemis..."  
  
"Next time, might I suggest you look around for feline  
  
eavesdroppers," the white feline responded smugly.  
  
"Besides, isn't it better this way than what you had  
  
planned?" Mars asked.  
  
Duncan opened his mouth to reply, but the sensation of  
  
an Immortal nearby suddenly rang through his being. In the  
  
same moment, a slow clapping sound came from the darkness  
  
behind them, and they all turned to see Mornay emerging from  
  
the shadows. "Well done, MacLeod," he said amiably. "I knew  
  
that you would prove too much for him."  
  
MacLeod quickly settled himself into a fighting stance.  
  
Somehow he doubted that Mornay was here to just chat. Out of  
  
the corner of his eye he could see the Scouts doing likewise  
  
and he knew they had similar thoughts. "If he had been  
  
fighting for himself, it might have turned out otherwise."  
  
Mornay chuckled. "Your faith in him is commendable,  
  
Highlander, if misplaced. I've known him for far longer than  
  
you, and I knew it was a waste of time sending him against you.  
  
I told Malachite as much. They should have just let me handle  
  
the lot of you myself."  
  
"You didn't exactly fare too well the last time!" Mars  
  
challenged him.  
  
"Yeah, we kicked your butt then!" Jupiter added.  
  
"Only because I wasn't prepared for MacLeod's  
  
involvement," Mornay said icily. "That won't happen a  
  
second time. This time you die."  
  
"If anyone is dying tonight, it'll be you," MacLeod  
  
retorted and he started to advance.  
  
Mornay smiled, but instead of reaching for his sword, he  
  
made a sweeping gesture with his right hand. Six dark  
  
globes leapt from his hand and struck them. As they struck,  
  
the globes transformed into bands of dark energy that wrapped  
  
themselves around MacLeod and the Scouts, binding them and  
  
knocking them to the ground. "Care to make a wager on that,  
  
MacLeod?"  
  
"Not this again!" Venus muttered.  
  
Mornay took a step towards them. "Now, I..." Before he  
  
could say anything more, Luna and Artemis leapt for his face  
  
in a black and white blur, each cat clawing desperately at  
  
his face. Mornay cried out at the pain, but he retained enough  
  
presence of mind to swat at the cats with his right hand,  
  
sending each of them flying into the trees.  
  
"Luna!" "Artemis!"  
  
Mornay gingerly touched the wounds the cats had  
  
inflicted. He wasn't concerned about them, for they would  
  
heal within moments, but the pain from them would prove  
  
distracting in the meantime. "Now that the preliminaries are  
  
over with, we can get down to business," Mornay said. He  
  
reached for his sword and started walking over to Sailor  
  
Moon. "First of which is disposing of you. Nothing personal,  
  
you understand."  
  
"If it's nothing personal, maybe we can just call it even  
  
and go our separate ways?" she suggested hopefully.  
  
"I don't think so." Mornay raised his sword.  
  
MacLeod had managed to maneuver himself into a sitting  
  
position, but he was still having no luck in breaking free.  
  
Houdini hadn't said anything about breaking out of energy  
  
bands. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked, trying to  
  
buy some time.  
  
Mornay paused, and looked his way. "I don't think so."  
  
"Aren't you supposed to get the Silver Crystal for your  
  
boss?" Duncan could tell that got his attention. "If you  
  
kill her, I don't think you'll get it. And you don't want  
  
to displease Malachite, do you?"  
  
Mornay grimaced. "You have a point." Lowering his sword,  
  
he squatted down to be on a more even level with Sailor Moon.  
  
"Where's the Silver Crystal?"  
  
"Would you believe I left it home under my bed?"  
  
"Don't insult my intelligence, girl," Mornay said. "I  
  
saw you use it on Kane a few minutes ago. But I also saw that  
  
you didn't have it a few seconds ago. So where did you put  
  
it?"  
  
Venus spoke up. "Trade secret."  
  
"Give it to me, and I'll grant you a quick and  
  
painless death," Mornay said, ignoring Venus.  
  
Sailor Moon's eyes widened. "*That's* supposed to be  
  
an incentive?!?"  
  
"Oh, yes." Mornay grinned cruelly. "I've learned from  
  
some of the best in methods of dealing pain. The Inquisitors,  
  
the Maquis de Sade, Dr. Josef Mengele... Each of them  
  
instructed me well in their various specialties. Specialties  
  
that I won't hesitate to demonstrate on you... unless you  
  
comply with my demand."  
  
"You *are* a sicko," Mars growled.  
  
Mornay waited for a minute, but Sailor Moon remained  
  
stubbornly silent. Eventually he stood back up and place the  
  
tip of his blade at her throat. "I'm not known for my  
  
patience. Give the Silver Crystal to me or..." He paused,  
  
looking into her eyes, then drew back his sword. "You'd let  
  
me kill you before giving me the Crystal, wouldn't you? But  
  
somehow I think your friends might be another matter entirely."  
  
He turned from Sailor Moon and began looking over the other  
  
Scouts.  
  
"Leave them alone!" Sailor Moon cried out. Duncan cursed  
  
silently and redoubled his efforts to wriggle free, to no avail.  
  
Mornay grinned. "I see I was right. Now, which one  
  
should be first, hmm?" He glanced back to Sailor Moon. "Tell  
  
you what. I'll let you choose which one I kill first."  
  
"Then I choose myself," she replied without hesitation.  
  
"Oh, no, no, no. That won't do at all. Let's see..."  
  
He regarded the Scouts again, pointing his blade at each of  
  
them in turn. "Shall we start with the brainiac? The  
  
other blonde? The amazon?" Jupiter snarled and struggled  
  
furiously herself, but she had no better luck than MacLeod.  
  
"No, I think it should be this one!" Mornay turned towards  
  
Mars, his blade moving in a blur.  
  
"Mars!!" Sailor Moon shouted.  
  
Mars flinched involuntarily. Although she couldn't see  
  
it, she could feel the tip of the blade touching her stomach.  
  
MacLeod noted that his blade had no trouble penetrated the  
  
energy bands. "What shall it be, Sailor Moon?" Mornay asked,  
  
not taking his eyes off of Mars. "Will you give me the  
  
Silver Crystal, or shall we make the rest of her costume as red  
  
as her skirt?"  
  
"Don't give it to him, Sailor Moon!" Mars insisted.  
  
"He's going to kill us anyway!"  
  
"Maybe I won't kill all of you," Mornay lied smoothly.  
  
"Maybe I'll let the rest of them go if you give me what I  
  
want."  
  
"I..." Sailor Moon began, but MacLeod interrupted her.  
  
"Don't believe him."  
  
"She doesn't much choice, MacLeod. Either she complies...  
  
or she watches each of her friends die in a rather grisly  
  
manner."  
  
  
  
"Whoa!" Dawson kept a tight hold on Luna. The black cat  
  
had been ready to charge headlong once again at Mornay.  
  
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Dawson already had a  
  
firm grip on Artemis with his other hand, although he was  
  
now having a hard time doing that and stay on his feet as  
  
well.  
  
"Let me go!"she half ordered and half pleaded. "I have  
  
to help her!"  
  
"You already tried that once, and it didn't work too  
  
well that time either," Dawson pointed out. "You were both  
  
lucky that Mornay happened to toss you in my direction. If I  
  
hadn't caught you, you both would've splattered against a  
  
tree."  
  
"Please," Luna said again.  
  
"You think I don't want to help them too? Be realistic,  
  
Luna. There's nothing we can do." Dawson looked again at the  
  
scene before him and felt a small smile form. "But someone  
  
else might be able to do something."  
  
  
  
"Well?!?" Mornay insisted harshly. "What's your answer,  
  
girl?"  
  
Sailor Moon opened her mouth to reply, but just then  
  
Mornay sensed rather than saw movement near him. Instinctively  
  
he raised his blade, and he managed to parry the blow meant for  
  
his head. Still, the force of the impact staggered him,  
  
forcing him backwards several paces.  
  
Kane cursed silently but he moved quickly, placing  
  
himself between Mornay and the Scouts. "Time for a rematch,  
  
Mornay. And this time I don't think Malachite is going to  
  
intercede on your behalf."  
  
"You have a very selective memory, Kane," Mornay sneered.  
  
"I was winning our last match. I won't need Malachite's  
  
help."  
  
"Watch it, Kane!" MacLeod warned him. "He's got a  
  
rather nasty trick up his sleeve."  
  
"You mean this?" Mornay asked, and he triggered the  
  
change once more.  
  
Kane didn't blink an eye as Mornay completed the change  
  
to his man-lizard form. ""Don't worry, MacLeod. I know all  
  
about that little trick Malachite gave him. It's not going  
  
to help him in the end."  
  
"Go ahead, Kane," Mornay hissed challengingly. "I've  
  
been waiting to kill you for six hundred years. I'm going  
  
to enjoy taking you apart... piece by piece."  
  
"Not if I send you to hell first," Kane said and  
  
charged.  
  
  
  
MacLeod watched the beginning of the battle with a  
  
growing sense of dread. Mornay seemed to be making good on  
  
his threat, as he had already wounded Kane twice -- once on  
  
the arm, and a shallow cut across his forehead. His  
  
Negaverse enhanced form was obviously faster and stronger  
  
than Kane, and from what he could tell, the two of them were  
  
about equal in the skill department. Yet Mornay was refusing  
  
to go for the quick kill, preferring instead to draw the  
  
combat out. Kane was giving a good accounting of himself,  
  
but it only a matter of time.  
  
Soon the flow of battle took them out of sight, although  
  
they could still hear the clashing of their blades. MacLeod  
  
struggled with his bonds once more, but they still clung tight  
  
to him. "Can any of you get loose?"  
  
"What do you think we're trying to do?" Jupiter snapped.  
  
She was having no better luck than MacLeod, and her  
  
frustration was growing.  
  
"Sorry!" MacLeod shot back.  
  
"Mars, you can get rid of these things, just like  
  
before," Sailor Moon said.  
  
"Last time I wasn't tied up," she pointed out. "I need  
  
to get my hands free first, and so far I'm not having much  
  
luck there."  
  
"Maybe I can help." Startled, they looked up. Moving as  
  
fast as he could, Dawson made his way to Mars, pausing along  
  
the way to pick up MacLeod's katana.  
  
"I don't know if that'll do much good, Dawson," MacLeod  
  
said.  
  
"Hey, it's worth a try. Besides, what else can I do? I  
  
don't think shooting Mornay will do anything." Dawson  
  
carefully placed the katana in position to cut Mars' bonds.  
  
"Do me a favor," he asked her, "don't move. He's the expert  
  
with this, not me." Mars nodded, and Dawson made a cautious  
  
cutting motion with the blade. To his dismay, the blade  
  
passed right through with no obvious effect. "Damn!"  
  
"Had a feeling that would happen," Duncan said.  
  
"Mornay's blade passed right through without damaging it."  
  
"Yeah, I saw that earlier," Dawson noted. "I was just  
  
hoping that it was particular to his blade."  
  
"Well it gives me an idea," Mars said, perking up. "Put  
  
the tip of the sword near my hand." Dawson looked at her,  
  
puzzled. "Do it!"  
  
Shrugging, Dawson followed her instructions. To be on  
  
the safe side, he made sure the sharp edge was facing away  
  
from her. Mars waited until she felt the blade touch her  
  
hand, then closed her eyes and spoke softly. Dawson wasn't  
  
sure what she was up to, but he could tell she was up to  
  
something, for he could feel a slight tingling sensation run  
  
up the blade.  
  
"OK," Mars said after a moment. "Try to cut it again."  
  
Dawson started to pull the blade out, but was startled  
  
to feel something resisting him. Setting himself, he yanked  
  
hard on the blade and managed to get it free. Now he saw  
  
just what it was Mars had been up to, as one of her spirit  
  
wards was attached to the flat of the blade. He made  
  
another attempt to cut through the dark mass with the sword,  
  
and this time felt resistance as the blade bit into it.  
  
Energy flickered along the length of the cut, culminating in  
  
a flare of dark light when he completed the cut. The energy  
  
band vanished and Mars was free.  
  
"Yes!" Mars shot back to her feet and stretched. "OK,  
  
I'll have the rest of you loose in a minute."  
  
MacLeod glanced towards the sounds of the battle.  
  
"If Kane has that long."  
  
  
  
Kane was in fact beginning to wonder how much longer he  
  
could hold out. He had been at a disadvantage going into  
  
this fight, even without Mornay's newfound abilities. His  
  
previous battle with MacLeod and being healed by the Silver  
  
Crystal had left him drained. The various wounds that Mornay  
  
had been casually inflicting on him only made matters worse.  
  
Now he found himself to be so exhausted that he was starting  
  
to gasp for breath, to say nothing of keeping his sword up.  
  
On the other hand, Mornay still looked fresh. The bastard  
  
was grinning ear to ear, thoroughly enjoying himself. Kane  
  
knew that it was only a matter of time before he decided that  
  
enough was enough.  
  
Kane quickly sorted through his options, searching for  
  
some solution to his dilemma. Unfortunately he saw only two  
  
options left to him and only one of those held any reasonable  
  
chance for his own personal survival. He could admit that  
  
Mornay was too much for him tonight and retreat, choosing to  
  
live to fight another day. But that option carried a heavy  
  
price tag. It meant he would be abandoning MacLeod and the  
  
Scouts to certain death at Mornay's hand.  
  
He tossed out that idea even as it formed within his  
  
mind. MacLeod was a friend, and he couldn't run out on him.  
  
As for the Scouts, he already owed them an ancient debt he  
  
could never fully repay. Retreat was not a viable option.  
  
Therefore he would have to go with his other option, even if  
  
it had very little chance of success.  
  
He would attack.  
  
Obviously a standard attack was out of the question.  
  
Mornay was parrying his strikes with ridiculous ease and those  
  
few that he didn't glanced off that armored skin of his. But  
  
Kane still had one ploy left in his bag of tricks. It was a  
  
move of pure desperation, but if this didn't qualify then  
  
what did?  
  
Kane feigned a stumbling slash, one that Mornay was  
  
easily able to parry, and he fell down to one knee. "Oh, I  
  
hope you aren't done yet, Kane. I was just beginning to  
  
enjoy myself."  
  
"I won't disappoint you." Kane had picked the spot for  
  
his stumble perfectly. He quickly scooped up a small amount  
  
of dirt and tossed it right into Mornay's eyes. Mornay cried  
  
out, one hand clutching at his face while the other lashed  
  
out with his sword in a series of wild slashes.  
  
Knowing that he would only have seconds at best, Kane  
  
moved quickly and ducked to Mornay's right. When Mornay's  
  
blade was in the correct position, Kane lunged forward with  
  
all his remaining strength, stabbing his blade into what he  
  
hoped was the least armored part of Mornay's skin: the  
  
armpit.  
  
He was rewarded by the feeling of his blade biting deep  
  
into Mornay, penetrating several inches into his foe. It  
  
wouldn't be enough to kill Mornay, but it should be enough  
  
to incapacitate him for a time. Or so he thought.  
  
Mornay stared in mild shock at the blade, then jerked  
  
himself backwards off the blade. To Kane's despair, he reacted  
  
as if he had never been wounded, actually smiling. "You know, that might have inconvenienced me a few days ago," he said.  
  
His arm moved in a blur, the back of his hand catching Kane  
  
across the face and sending him flying.  
  
Dazed, Kane shook his head, trying to clear it. But a  
  
sharp pain in his abdomen did that for him. He looked down  
  
and saw his own blade impaled there. He felt the strength  
  
ebb from his legs and he fell to his knees. "I don't know how,  
  
but you managed to find the one weakness in my armor," Mornay  
  
said as he walked idly around Kane. "But unfortunately for  
  
you, this transformation rearranged my internal structure  
  
enough that your blow was no more than irritating."  
  
"I was trying for your heart. That was my mistake," Kane  
  
managed to get out. "I should have remembered, you don't have  
  
one. Something you have in common with Beryl."  
  
Mornay smiled thinly and paused to one side of Kane.  
  
"I'm going to miss our little blood feud, Kane," he said,  
  
raising his sword high for the final blow, "But as they say,  
  
all good things come to an end. After all, there can be  
  
only one."  
  
"Well it's not going to be you, creep!"  
  
"What?!?" Mornay spun towards the voice that came  
  
from behind. His eyes widened when he saw Sailor Moon. "How  
  
did you get free?"  
  
"The same way the rest of us did," Mars commented from  
  
Mornay's left. He glanced over there and saw Mercury standing  
  
by her side. Instinctively he looked back to his right to  
  
find Jupiter and Venus.  
  
MacLeod came out from the shadows to stand by Sailor  
  
Moon. "Time for a rematch," he told Mornay.  
  
Now it was Kane's turn to smile, despite the pain in  
  
his midsection. "What kept you?" he asked MacLeod in a  
  
strained voice.  
  
It was Sailor Moon who answered. "Oh, we just got a  
  
little tied up."  
  
"You know how it is for us Immortals, busy social  
  
schedule and all," MacLeod put in, not taking his eyes off  
  
Mornay for an instant.  
  
"This only delays the inevitable, Kane," Mornay  
  
sneered. "For them and for you."  
  
"We'll see about that!" Mars said. "MARS FIRE...  
  
IGNITE!"  
  
Mornay stood his ground while the fireball raced at him.  
  
Just as it reached his position, he sidestepped it and struck  
  
at it with his sword. A blue glow surrounded the sword when  
  
it came in contact with the fireball, and it flew back at her  
  
position. Mercury and Mars dodged desperately to avoid being  
  
charred.  
  
"Why you..." Jupiter clenched her fists in anger, but  
  
fortunately neither Mars nor Mercury seemed injured. She  
  
turned back to confront Mornay, ready to give him her best  
  
shot, but had to hold back. Duncan had used the momentary  
  
distraction to close with Mornay and engage him sword to  
  
sword.  
  
Mornay, it seemed, had other idea. Parrying MacLeod's  
  
initial strike, he grabbed the Highlander by his jacket.  
  
Using his enhanced strength, he picked him bodily and  
  
hurled him through the air.  
  
Right smack into Sailor Moon.  
  
Jupiter winced as she witnessed the impact. Both Duncan  
  
and Sailor Moon lay stunned upon the ground. Mercury ran over  
  
to check on them, but neither seemed badly hurt. Duncan  
  
would soon recover from any injury in any event. As for  
  
Sailor Moon... "Sailor Moon?"  
  
Sailor Moon looked unsteadily at her. "Do I have to go  
  
to school, Mom? I really don't want to take that math  
  
test today..."  
  
"Let's get him, Jupiter," Venus said, glaring at  
  
Mornay.  
  
Jupiter nodded in agreement. The rod extended upward  
  
from her tiara as she prepared her attack. "JUPITER  
  
THUNDER...."  
  
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM..."  
  
"CRASH!"  
  
"SMASH"  
  
The twin attacks of light and electricity combined into  
  
a more powerful laser-like beam of lightning and raced in  
  
Mornay's direction. He used his sword to block this attack  
  
as well and he managed to reflect it back at them. It struck  
  
the ground between them and it exploded.  
  
  
  
Kane could only watch the combat proceed, while he  
  
removed the sword from his stomach inch by painful inch.  
  
The Sailor Scouts seemed to be holding their own so far, but  
  
he knew that the momentum of the battle could shift in an  
  
instant. He gritted his teeth and pulled again at the blade.  
  
'Just about halfway there,' he thought. 'But maybe I  
  
should give serious consideration to using a shorter sword in  
  
the future.'  
  
  
  
Duncan groaned, and tried to clear his head. Beside him,  
  
he could hear Mercury attempting to get Sailor Moon back on  
  
her feet. "How is she?"  
  
"She's conscious, but still dazed." Mercury frowned.  
  
"She might have a concussion, but it's too soon to be sure."  
  
"We'll worry about that later." Duncan glanced back at  
  
the battle. "I'll take over here. Right now your friends  
  
could use your help."  
  
"Right," Mercury said with a grateful nod.  
  
Duncan took hold of Sailor Moon's arm and start lifting  
  
her to her feet. The blonde groaned. "Just five more  
  
minutes, 'kay?"  
  
He tapped her lightly on one cheek, trying to rouse her  
  
to full awareness. "Come on, Sailor Moon. We need you for  
  
this battle."  
  
She blinked unsteadily, but Duncan thought her eyes  
  
looked clearer. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him  
  
in a fierce hug. "Darien! You're back!" Duncan's eyes flew  
  
wide in shock.  
  
  
  
Despite the fact that a desperate battle was being waged,  
  
it was all Dawson could do to keep from laughing. The one  
  
thing he wished for more than anything else at that moment  
  
was a camera. The look on MacLeod's face was priceless.  
  
  
  
"MERCURY BUBBLES... BLAST!"  
  
Mornay swore as the thick fog came over the area. "Not  
  
this thrice damned fog again!"  
  
"You better believe it," he heard Mars reply. He tried  
  
to guess the direction her voice came from, but some trick of  
  
the fog made it seem to come from all directions.  
  
"MARS FIRE... IGNITE!"  
  
This time Mornay didn't see the fireball until it was  
  
almost on top of him, far too late for him to dodge or deflect  
  
it. It slammed into him with a flash of heat and flame.  
  
Mars gasped when the flames had cleared. Other than  
  
some smoldering clothing, Mornay seemed unaffected by her  
  
attack. "That... hurt," he said, anger tingeing his voice.  
  
Seeing a shadow within the fog, Mornay leapt for it. He  
  
guessed right, and he grabbed Mars by the throat. "We'll see  
  
how tough you are once I break your neck!" he snarled, lifting  
  
her up.  
  
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!" came another voice from the  
  
fog and a golden beam of light lanced outward. Mornay yelped  
  
in pain as it pierced his arm, and he was forced to drop Mars.  
  
Jupiter raced in at the same time, pulling the raven haired  
  
Scout from danger.  
  
Mornay felt something crash into his side, staggering  
  
him. Turning, he found himself face to face with MacLeod  
  
again. "I'm back." Mornay snarled and reached for the  
  
Highlander again, but this time MacLeod managed to dodge out  
  
of reach.  
  
"Now Sailor Moon!" Luna cried out.  
  
Sensing that the danger was behind him, Mornay spun  
  
around and saw Sailor Moon standing not far from him. She held  
  
up the Crescent Wand in front of her. "You wanted the  
  
Silver Crystal? Well, here's a sample of what it can do.  
  
"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!" Again the radiant white  
  
healing energy streamed out from the Silver Crystal and it  
  
flowed over Mornay, who screamed. Within seconds, his  
  
transformation had been reversed and the youma Malachite  
  
had invested in him had been purged from his body.  
  
Mornay looked with horror at his hands. Any hint of  
  
his former state was gone forever. He was once more just a  
  
flesh and blood Immortal. "No," he said. "This can't be!"  
  
"Looks to me like it is," Jupiter replied.  
  
Mornay glared at her momentarily, then returned his gaze  
  
to Sailor Moon. "You'll pay for that! I wanted that power!  
  
It would have been more than enough to insure that *I* would  
  
be the last Immortal! I swear I'll kill you!"  
  
"And how do you think you're going to do that?" Mars  
  
took a threatening step towards Mornay. "Without those  
  
powers, I think the five of us can handle you. And I bet  
  
that Sailor Moon's tiara could be just as deadly to you as  
  
a sword."  
  
"You won't have to, Mars," Duncan put in. "I can take  
  
it from here. It's over, Mornay,"  
  
Mornay fixed a hate-filled glare at MacLeod. "I don't  
  
think so, MacLeod. I haven't lost yet." His voice rose to a  
  
loud yell and he charged forward. Duncan raised his sword,  
  
ready to defend himself, but it quickly became apparent the  
  
he wasn't Mornay's target.  
  
Mornay charged bodily into Sailor Moon, seizing at the  
  
Crescent Wand with his left hand. The suddenness of his  
  
attack gave him the edge he needed to wrest it from her.  
  
Sailor Moon fell backwards, landing on her rear end with a  
  
startle "Oooff!", while the other Scouts could only stare in  
  
horror as Mornay raised the Crescent Wand aloft with a cry  
  
of triumph... One that quickly transformed itself an  
  
incoherent howl of pain. Mornay clutched at the stump of  
  
his wrist, while the Crescent Wand fell to the ground with  
  
Mornay's severed hand still gripping it tightly. Duncan  
  
brought his katana back for the final strike. "You lose."  
  
Mornay knew now that he had lost completely and that the  
  
only thing he could hope for was to save his own skin.  
  
Ignoring the pain from his wrist as best he could, he turned  
  
and ran off into the darkness.  
  
Duncan took a deep breath and lowered his sword to his  
  
side. Jupiter moved up beside him, as did the other  
  
Scouts. "Shouldn't we follow him?"  
  
Duncan knelt down and started to pry the Crescent Wand  
  
loose. "There's no need. He's lost the edge Malachite gave  
  
him, plus he's short a hand. He's no real threat right now."  
  
"I don't know about that, Duncan," Venus said. "He's  
  
still an Immortal. I..."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Mars shouted, interrupting the blonde. "Where'd Kane go?" The other Scouts looked around, but they  
  
saw soon enough that Mars was right. Kane was nowhere to be  
  
found.  
  
Duncan nodded to himself. That was the third reason he  
  
saw no need to follow Mornay. Because he knew that he  
  
wasn't going to get far.  
  
  
  
Mornay staggered against a tree a short distance away.  
  
The throbbing from his wrist was still incredible, but the  
  
bleeding had stopped. Now that he was out of immediate danger,  
  
he could start to consider what to do next. Considering the  
  
way things had gone, he could hardly go back to Horton and  
  
Malachite. Neither one seemed the type to tolerate failure.  
  
His only recourse seemed to be to find a nice, deep hole and  
  
hide in it for a while. Then he could...  
  
Mornay stiffened, sensing the approach of another  
  
Immortal. MacLeod must be tracking him. That meant it was  
  
time to leave. Shoving against the tree with his good hand,  
  
he started moving.  
  
He had barely taken two steps when he saw a figure in  
  
his path. "Hello, Mornay," Kane said, stepping towards him.  
  
"Are you ready to die?"  
  
  
  
"Any sign of him, Mercury?" Sailor Moon asked.  
  
Artemis had gone over to where Mornay had vanished into  
  
the darkness. "I think he went this way."  
  
"Don't bother," Duncan told them. "I think I know where  
  
he went." He stiffened slightly and knew deep in his being  
  
that he was right. "And you might want to get back from  
  
there, Artemis."  
  
The cat looked back at him. "Huh?"  
  
The first flicker of lightning, barely missing Artemis,  
  
answered his question. The cat dodged that one, but many  
  
more soon followed. Soon a storm of lightning was echoing  
  
all around them. Several of the nearby lampposts were struck  
  
and they exploded into showers of sparks, as did the nearby  
  
clock tower. The Scouts crouched down, instinctively seeking  
  
cover against the energy storm.  
  
Mercury goggled at the view through her visor. "This is  
  
incredible! I can't believe the amount of energy being  
  
released. It's off the scale!"  
  
Then as quickly as it had appeared, the lightning  
  
vanished and the park was eerily quiet. "Now what?" Sailor  
  
Moon asked.  
  
As if in answer, Kane emerged from the darkness, looking  
  
worn and haggard. But his face bore a look of satisfaction.  
  
There was a moment of uneasy silence while the others  
  
regarded him warily. Then Kane walked over to Duncan and  
  
extended a hand, a gesture that Duncan immediately  
  
reciprocated. "Thanks, Duncan. Now I owe you one."  
  
"Owe *him* one?" Mars said incredulously. "What about  
  
us?" The other Scouts nodded in agreement.  
  
"She's right, you know," Duncan said. "As I recall, I  
  
was about to kill you."  
  
"Sorry about that, but it was the only way I saw out of  
  
my dilemma."  
  
"The only way?" Sailor Moon asked.  
  
"I could resist that... thing to a degree," Kane  
  
explained. "Enough so that I could give MacLeod enough  
  
opportunity to kill me. But that was about all I could do.  
  
In every other aspect, it was in control of me. MacLeod's  
  
lucky I was able to resist it that much. If I had been  
  
completely under it's control, I would have killed MacLeod  
  
here."  
  
Duncan grinned. "I wouldn't be too sure of that."  
  
"Come on, I've seen you fight," Kane replied. "That  
  
time in Scotland I had to handle four of them. You were  
  
barely able to take on two."  
  
"I've had some practice since then."  
  
Kane regarded the Highlander with a critical eye.  
  
"Perhaps... But if the Fates are willing, we won't find out  
  
the answer to that question until the Gathering."  
  
"I'd like to keep it that way," Duncan agreed.  
  
"And you're right, Sailor Mars," Kane said, now  
  
addressing the Scouts. "I do owe you. But not just for  
  
this."  
  
There were looks of confusion among them. "Huh?"  
  
"I owe you from long ago. You see, I was there when  
  
the Silver Millennium fell centuries ago. I..." Kane paused  
  
and his eyes widened before his expression shifted to one of  
  
anger.  
  
Mars felt the hair on her neck rise, and she suddenly had  
  
a feeling just what had angered Kane. She spun around and  
  
cried out in warning, "Look out!"  
  
Kane already had his sword out and he charged past  
  
Duncan, who also turned rapidly.  
  
Malachite watched arrogantly as Kane charged, then  
  
casually tossed a white ball of energy at the Immortal. It  
  
struck Kane right in the chest, and the Immortal sank to his  
  
knees. He glanced down at the smoking wound and managed to  
  
say, "I'm getting too old for this," before he collapsed.  
  
"I can easily rectify that," Malachite said, and an  
  
energy sword materialized in one hand.  
  
"I wouldn't try that," MacLeod said.  
  
Malachite looked up and was about to retort, but paused. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Moon were each flanking MacLeod,  
  
and the others were arrayed around them. He still might  
  
have attacked except for the fact that Sailor Moon had the  
  
Crescent Wand out, the Silver Crystal gleaming with power.  
  
No, now was not the time to challenge the Scouts. There  
  
would be time enough for that later. A whirling black  
  
hole appeared behind him, and he began to fade from sight.  
  
But that didn't stop him from issuing one last threat.  
  
"The next time we meet, Sailor Moon, will the last."  
  
Mars was unimpressed. "Promises, promises."  
  
  
  
Horton shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and  
  
walked away. MacLeod and his Sailor Scout allies had managed  
  
to free Kane from his control and to defeat Mornay, but the  
  
renegade Watcher didn't allow anger to overwhelm him at this  
  
setback. Already he was rolling various plots and schemes in  
  
his mind, planning ahead for his next confrontation with the  
  
Highlander.  
  
So wrapped up in his thoughts was he that he didn't  
  
notice Malachite's appearance until he was on top of the  
  
Negaverse General. "Ah, Malachite. Is something wrong?"  
  
"Everything is wrong. Your precious plan has failed!"  
  
Malachite was plainly frustrated.  
  
"It almost worked," Horton replied. "If not for  
  
MacLeod's involvement, it might have, but..."  
  
"You wanted MacLeod to be there," Malachite interrupted  
  
him, his voice cold. "You failed in your efforts to kill  
  
him earlier, so you thought you could use my aid to try  
  
again."  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
Malachite glared at the renegade Watcher. "I should  
  
have left you in that river. It would have taken me longer  
  
to find an Immortal on my own, but then I wouldn't have  
  
your vengeance quest getting in the way."  
  
"You knew about my conflicts with MacLeod going into  
  
this," Horton replied. "And I didn't hear you complain about  
  
my suggestion to use Kane. In fact, you admired the symmetry  
  
of the situation." Horton paused, but Malachite didn't  
  
reply except by way of his continued glare at Horton. "In  
  
any event, I'm sure you'll think of some way to explain this  
  
to Queen Beryl," Horton added calmly. "You seem to be very  
  
resourceful that way."  
  
Malachite's eyes narrowed. "You seem to be taking  
  
this rather well."  
  
Horton shrugged. "Success is never guaranteed in any  
  
plan; there are always variables that cannot be accounted  
  
for. Kane's strength of will and the Scouts' resourcefulness,  
  
in this instance. But MacLeod and his friends can have this  
  
victory today. People such as you and I only have to win  
  
once." Horton turned and began walking off. "If you need  
  
my assistance in the future, you know how to get a hold of  
  
me."  
  
Malachite grabbed Horton's jacket and pulled the renegade  
  
Watcher towards him, nearly yanking him off his feet. "I  
  
don't think so. You will come with me... and *you* will  
  
explain to Queen Beryl why the plan failed because of *your*  
  
obsession with MacLeod!"  
  
"Wait a minute!" Horton protested. "You can't..."  
  
But Malachite could and he did. Ignoring Horton's  
  
protests, Malachite willed black light to fill the area  
  
around the two men. It soon faded, taking them both with it.  
  
  
  
Kane gasped, his Immortal physiology once more  
  
repairing his wounds. What had transpired just before his  
  
'death' came immediately into his mind and he groped for  
  
his sword, looking around him. However, the clearing seemed  
  
to be deserted.  
  
"Welcome back," said a familiar voice behind him,  
  
proving that the area was not entirely deserted. Kane  
  
glanced backwards at MacLeod, then started getting back to  
  
his feet.  
  
"I take it you were able to handle Malachite?" he asked.  
  
"He didn't stick around long," MacLeod replied. "He  
  
wasn't feeling up to battling all the Scouts today."  
  
Kane looked around again, but still saw no one  
  
else. "Where...?"  
  
"I sent them home," he explained. "I figured I'd help  
  
you out with making arrangements to get back home. All  
  
the excitement is over, after all."  
  
"Only for now."  
  
MacLeod frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean I'm sticking around here." Kane looked intently  
  
at Macleod. "I owe Beryl and Malachite too much to just head  
  
back to England. Not just for tonight, but for what happened  
  
millennia ago. And I intend to pay them back... With  
  
interest."  
  
  
  
Next: Epilogue. Dawson has a heart to heart with Artemis and we get a glimpse of the future. 


	6. Epilogue 1 + 2

Epilogue 1  
  
Dawson grimaced at the paper, and gave a final sigh of defeat.  
  
"Maybe I can get MacLeod to translate it for me later," he muttered  
  
while folding up the newspaper. He tossed it aside on the park bench  
  
he was sitting on and leaned back. The sun was just peeking over the  
  
horizon, giving rise to what appeared to be a bright and clear day. It  
  
was a sharp contrast to the darkness that had been at work only hours  
  
before. All around him, he could hear the sounds of increasing traffic  
  
as the denizens of Tokyo stirred from a good nights rest and prepared to  
  
face the coming day.  
  
Unfortunately, this was not the case for Dawson. His body was  
  
still firmly operating on Paris time and was firmly insisting the it was  
  
now late evening instead of the break of day. Since getting any sleep  
  
was proving to be a losing battle, he decided instead to take a walk into  
  
the park, pausing momentarily to buy a local paper along the way. But he  
  
had only traded one lost cause for another as he was unable to read any of  
  
the Japanese text at all.  
  
"I could translate it for you," a male voice suddenly offered. Startled,  
  
Dawson turned sharply and saw a white cat perched on the far  
  
side of the bench.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked Artemis.  
  
"Watching the Watcher," the feline replied smoothly.  
  
Dawson scowled at the cat. "If you only knew how often I've heard  
  
that pun." A moment later a wry grin crept onto his face as another  
  
thought occurred to him. "Are you sure you're not here to take me up on  
  
my job offer?"  
  
Artemis blinked, taken aback. "Sorry, but keeping an eye on Mina  
  
is a full time job in itself."  
  
"Yeah, that I can imagine," Dawson replied. "OK, so you're here  
  
watching me. Mind telling me why?"  
  
Artemis canted his head. "To be frank, I'm not sure I trust you,  
  
Dawson. Neither is Luna."  
  
Dawson feigned a pained expression. "After all we've been through  
  
the last day or two? Artemis, I'm hurt."  
  
Artemis got up and took a couple of steps towards Dawson. "Then  
  
you won't mind answering a few questions to put out minds at ease."  
  
"Well, I don't mind you *asking* any questions... but I won't  
  
guarantee I'll answer them, or that you'll like the answers."  
  
"Fair enough, I guess." Artemis took a moment to organize his  
  
thoughts. He hadn't been sure Dawson would agree to answer his questions,  
  
but now that he had (more or less), he wanted to take full advantage of  
  
it. "Question one: you showed up at Raye's, out of the blue. MacLeod  
  
didn't know to be there, which was why he had been searching the city  
  
for Mina. How'd you know to be there?"  
  
"I..." Dawson began.  
  
Artemis interrupted, "And don't try to feed me the line you gave  
  
MacLeod about hanging around there because it was the nearest patch of  
  
holy ground. He didn't buy it and neither do I."  
  
"That was a bit weak, wasn't it?" Dawson replied with a grimace. "You're  
  
not going to believe it, but it was sheer coincidence that I was  
  
at the Temple when MacLeod showed up."  
  
"Coincidence?!?" The tone of Artemis' voice made it plain that he  
  
in fact didn't believe it.  
  
"Yeah, coincidence," Dawson reiterated. "They happen, you know."  
  
He took a deep breath before continuing. "I wasn't sure where I'd find  
  
MacLeod when I got here, but I wasn't too concerned about it. If all  
  
else failed, I could always contact some of the local Watchers to find  
  
him. But I figured I'd first get in touch with one of the locals and  
  
get the lay of the land, so to speak. So I contacted a retired Watcher  
  
who works at the Temple."  
  
Artemis felt his jaw drop in shock. There were three people that  
  
worked at the Temple -- it obviously wasn't Raye and Chad was far too  
  
young to be considered "retired". That left... "Raye's grandfather  
  
is a Watcher?!?"  
  
"*Retired* Watcher," Dawson said, placing heavy emphasis the  
  
word 'retired'. "Watcher's are all mortals, remember? Sooner or later  
  
we grow old and eventually have to step down from active field service.  
  
But most keep touch with the organization afterwards, keeping an eye out  
  
for passing Immortals and the like. It was all I could do to keep my jaw  
  
from dropping when MacLeod showed up out of the blue like that."  
  
It took Artemis a moment to digest this bit of news. "Does he  
  
know...?"  
  
"About Raye being a Sailor Scout?" Dawson finished for him. The  
  
Watcher shook his head. "Not that I know of. And I'm not about to  
  
tell him either. I don't want to jump the gun on something that should  
  
be Raye's business."  
  
"Hmmmm...." Artemis wasn't quite sure how to respond to this  
  
news item. While this was certainly troubling, it could hardly be  
  
described as urgent. He made a mental note to talk about it with Luna  
  
at some later point. "OK, here's question two: how'd you manage to  
  
show up just at the right time when MacLeod and Jupiter were in trouble?"  
  
"Nothing mysterious there," Dawson said. "It's exactly what I  
  
told Jupiter at the time. I was there checking that the dead Watcher  
  
that MacLeod had phoned me about was indeed one of ours. It was sheer  
  
coincidence that I got there just before MacLeod took a flying leap out  
  
a window. Which, if you recall, was exactly what I said to you and the  
  
Scouts earlier."  
  
"Another coincidence," Artemis noted dryly.  
  
"I'll admit it's odd, but it also happens to be the truth,"  
  
Dawson replied. "Believe it or not, Artemis, I don't have an army of  
  
Watchers keeping a constant eye on you and your friends." He paused,  
  
waiting for Artemis to answer but for some reason the cat was strangely  
  
silent. "Well? What do you have to say to that?" he asked impatiently.  
  
"Meow."  
  
Dawson blinked. Artemis' odd reply gave him a suddenly uneasy  
  
feeling that he and the cat weren't alone. He slowly half turned to  
  
his left and saw a woman dressed in jogging attire looking oddly at  
  
him. "What's the matter? Haven't you seen someone talking to their  
  
cat before?" he asked her, gesturing towards Artemis.  
  
The woman's eyes widened slightly and she took a half step  
  
backwards. "Not as if he were expecting an answer."  
  
Dawson knew that any explanation he could give her off the top of  
  
his head would sound lame. Since she was already half certain he was  
  
nuts, he decided he might as well go with the flow. "Of course he  
  
answers! You can't have a conversation otherwise." He turned back to  
  
Artemis. "Right?"  
  
"Meow," Artemis supplied helpfully.  
  
The woman decided that she was best off getting away from this  
  
crazy American and resumed her morning run, albeit at a faster pace  
  
than before.  
  
Dawson waited until she was well out of an earshot (as well as  
  
checking for anyone else about) before continuing his talk with Artemis.  
  
"We better wrap this up before she has the men in white coats after me."  
  
"Well, I've only got one more question anyway," Artemis said,  
  
adding a silent 'for now'. "During the fight last night, you implied  
  
that you knew that Immortals could sense the Scouts presence. Mars  
  
caught your slip, but you never answered her. I doubt MacLeod told you,  
  
and neither did any of the Scouts. So how did you know?"  
  
Dawson paused and settled back. "Damn. I'm afraid you got me on  
  
that one."  
  
"I knew you were holding something back," Artemis muttered.  
  
Dawson fixed a stern gaze of the white cat. "Maybe I didn't tell  
  
MacLeod I knew about that, but I wasn't holding anything vital back.  
  
My knowledge of that Immortal ability isn't from any contemporary  
  
source."  
  
Now Artemis was confused. "Huh?"  
  
Dawson smiled slightly. "I think you know, Artemis, even if you  
  
don't realize it. Immortals have been around for thousands of years,  
  
even as far back as your Silver Millennium. As far as I know, most of  
  
those Immortals died long before the Watchers began, or even started  
  
keeping records, but a few of them have survived -- Kane for one,  
  
although there are a few others. Some of those ancient Immortals gave  
  
accounts to early Watchers about those days. Very detailed accounts,  
  
I might add. They told all about the Silver Millennium... and about  
  
the Sailor Scouts."  
  
Artemis was too shocked to respond immediately. "If you Watchers  
  
have all that information, then why *aren't* you keeping an eye on the  
  
Scouts?"  
  
"The records are so old that most Watchers regard the details in  
  
those Chronicles as myth and legends," Dawson explained ruefully. "For  
  
a long time, so did I. At least until I started hearing about Sailor V.  
  
I stated thinking that they were more than legends then, but I never  
  
truly believed that any of it was real until that night when Mina  
  
transformed into Sailor V in front of MacLeod. After that, I started  
  
doing some serious research into those 'legends'. Especially those parts  
  
that told all about Beryl and that she might return."  
  
"Mind if I ask why?"  
  
Dawson leaned a bit towards Artemis. "Hey, I'm not about to sit  
  
around and just watch while the queen bitch of the Negaverse tries to  
  
take over. Earth's my planet too, you know. I'd like to help."  
  
"No offense, Dawson, but..." Artemis began.  
  
"I know I'm out of my league in physical combat," Dawson  
  
interrupted. "Hell, even if I had flesh and blood legs, I doubt I could  
  
do more than give Beryl and her goons another target to shoot at. But  
  
there are other ways I and the Watchers can help."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Dawson asked with a smile. "What is it Watchers  
  
do best, Artemis? Answer: gathering information. A lot of information.  
  
We're more than just a bunch of people keeping an eye on Immortals,  
  
Artemis. We also have a large research department looking into their  
  
histories and trying to uncover any older ones that have dropped out of  
  
sight. In doing so, we've got our hands into almost every source of  
  
information there is. If there's any information that can be had on  
  
Beryl and her cronies, we can find it." Dawson gave Artemis a moment  
  
to consider this before adding, "And I can prove it."  
  
"OK, I'll bite," Artemis said. "How?"  
  
"Remember that apartment that Malachite set a trap for MacLeod  
  
and Jupiter?" Dawson waited until Artemis nodded before he continued.  
  
"Well, somebody had to be paying the rent on that place. I've already  
  
got Watchers following the money trail. Maybe it'll give us some info  
  
on other places Beryl is using around town."  
  
"Maybe," Artemis conceded.  
  
"It's better than nothing," Dawson said. He took a quick glance  
  
around. There wasn't any sign of anyone rushing here to cart him off  
  
to the funny farm, but he didn't want to take any chances. "Now if  
  
that's all, we better be going. The last thing I need is to spend the  
  
night in the local equivalent of Bellevue."  
  
"OK by me," the feline replied, getting up on all fours. "By the  
  
way, how long are you staying around?" he asked as Dawson was standing  
  
up.  
  
"Until MacLeod leaves town." Dawson raised an eyebrow. "Why, in  
  
a hurry to get rid of me?"  
  
"Well, I guess I can put up with the two of you for a *little*  
  
while longer," Artemis replied half seriously. "Especially since you  
  
two helped us out so much. I'm just glad that this is all over. I've  
  
seen enough of Immortals to last me quite awhile."  
  
Dawson smiled. "Artemis, something tells me that you and the Scouts  
  
are going to be dealing with Immortals for a very long time. Especially  
  
Duncan MacLeod... of the clan MacLeod."  
  
Epilogue II  
  
Crystal Tokyo, five hundred years after the Nemesis War.  
  
The nighttime darkness of the Crystal Tokyo skyline was broken only  
  
by the random flickering of light in the distance, which was accompanied  
  
by a rumble of noise. Most would simply dismiss the pyrotechnic display  
  
as a sudden lightning storm, but Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod knew  
  
better. Somewhere in the city, an Immortal had just been killed. And  
  
now that Immortal's life essence was being transferred to the victor by  
  
the process Immortals called the Quickening.  
  
Duncan didn't need to see the Quickening to know it was happening  
  
-- Immortals could sense the process with senses mortals didn't possess  
  
-- but he still watched from his apartment balcony. Being in one of  
  
the higher floors of the palace, it gave him an excellent view of the  
  
city. And seeing this energy display disturbed him greatly. Not that  
  
the Quickening was occurring here -- it had become a somewhat common  
  
phenomena once he had relocated to Crystal Tokyo -- but that this was  
  
the third Quickening he had seen or sensed in as many nights. This,  
  
plus another feeling he had, could only mean one thing. Something he  
  
could no longer deny was happening.  
  
The time of the Gathering was now, and it was happening here in  
  
Crystal Tokyo.  
  
There was a grim irony in the situation that appealed to part of  
  
him. The most peaceful city in the world was about to become the site  
  
of the epic climax of a struggle that had been going on for millennia.  
  
He knew without turning around that another had joined him on the  
  
balcony. It wasn't surprising, seeing as she had shared the apartment  
  
with him for centuries. Ever since...  
  
Lita gazed upon the flickering display and frowned. "Again?"  
  
Having known Duncan since the Twentieth century, she knew a Quickening  
  
when she saw one. Even if from a distance. "That's the third one this  
  
week. What's going on?"  
  
Duncan took a deep breath, preparing himself for what lay ahead.  
  
She had to be told sooner or later, although it was not a task he  
  
relished. "It's the Gathering," he said simply. After all these  
  
years together, he didn't have to say anything else.  
  
Lita looked sharply at Duncan and felt herself go pale. He had  
  
told her all too well just what that meant. In the end...  
  
She didn't want to finish that particular thought. "Are you sure?  
  
Here?!? Now?!?"  
  
Duncan nodded. "I'm afraid so, Lita. For the last week I've had  
  
the feeling that this was the time and place, but I couldn't admit it  
  
to myself until now."  
  
"Have you told Serenity yet?"  
  
"No," Duncan admitted. "I thought you should be the first one I  
  
tell. You can tell Serenity and the others in the morning."  
  
Lita's brow wrinkled. "Why can't you tell them?"  
  
Duncan hesitated before answering, "Because I'm leaving the  
  
palace. Tonight."  
  
"WHAT?!" Before Duncan could so much as blink, he found himself  
  
nose to nose with Lita. And the expression on her face would have been  
  
enough to intimidate any Immortal. "Just what do you mean by *that*,  
  
mister?"  
  
Duncan put his hands gently upon her shoulders. "Take it easy,  
  
Lita. Try to understand..."  
  
She didn't give him a chance to finish. "Understand what?" she  
  
exclaimed. "Understand that this is the Gathering? Understand that  
  
every Immortal out there is going to be gunning for your head?  
  
Understand that when this is all over, there's going to be one Immortal  
  
left?" Her voice broke a bit at the last and Duncan could see the tears  
  
start to form in her eyes. "I understand all that fine. What I don't  
  
understand is why you have to leave."  
  
"Lita, it's as much for your sake as it is mine," he said gently.  
  
"If I stay here, there's a chance another Immortal could use you or one  
  
of the others against me."  
  
"We're not exactly helpless, Duncan," she said, glaring at him.  
  
"I know. But I'd rather not take the chance. I've lost enough  
  
people I care about during my life."  
  
"You hardly have a monopoly on that, Duncan. I've lost people,  
  
too," she reminded him.  
  
"Yes, but..."  
  
"Besides, the security in here is better than anything Fort Knox  
  
ever had," Lita continued, interrupting him. "There's no way anybody  
  
could break in."  
  
Duncan raised an eyebrow, a skeptical look coming across his face. "Well,  
  
I hope nobody told Amanda that."  
  
Lita grimaced when she heard the name of that particular Immortal.  
  
Over the centuries, Amanda had taken to periodically breaking into the  
  
palace. No matter who was in charge of security at the time, nor the  
  
upgrades to the various security systems in the palace, she had been  
  
able to gain entry every time and evade detection until she was well  
  
into the heart of the palace. She never took anything, but she did  
  
leave notes as to how she gotten inside. It was almost as if it were  
  
a game to her. "She's an exception, not the rule. I doubt anyone else  
  
could get inside."  
  
Duncan shook his head. "I wouldn't bet on it," he said. "In my  
  
experience, it pays to never underestimate any Immortal." Unwilling to  
  
argue the point further, he went back into the room and began packing  
  
a travel bag.  
  
Lita followed him moments later, fuming now more than ever. She  
  
spun him around to face her and jabbed a finger angrily in his chest.  
  
"You keep trying to protect me like I'm some frail flower. Well, get  
  
this through your thick Scottish skull, Duncan MacLeod: I may be your  
  
wife, but I am also Sailor Jupiter, one of the Sailor Scouts! I've  
  
been fighting things a lot tougher than a few sword crazed Immortals!  
  
I am quite capable of taking care of myself!"  
  
"All right," Duncan said, conceding the point. "Just answer  
  
this question honestly and I'll stay: could you just stand by and  
  
watch while another Immortal takes my head?"  
  
Lita felt her anger suddenly evaporate like water on a hot  
  
plate and hesitated before replying. "Sure," she said, but her  
  
voice held no conviction.  
  
Duncan nodded. "I didn't think so. I don't think I could do  
  
it either."  
  
"I..."  
  
"Lita, this isn't like any other fight I've had with another  
  
Immortal. This is the Gathering. I'll be facing combat God only knows  
  
how many times before it's all over. I don't want to put you through  
  
that time and again, especially with the knowledge that you could  
  
intervene and easily protect me."  
  
"You'd rather leave me in the dark?" she asked sharply. "Wondering  
  
each night if you're dead or alive."  
  
Duncan smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I'm not  
  
going into seclusion, Lita. I'll be in touch."  
  
"You better be," she retorted, but her voice no longer held any  
  
edge to it. The two of them embraced each other tightly. "You don't  
  
have to leave right know, do you? You can stay just a little while  
  
longer?"  
  
"No," he said, yielding on this one point. "I can stay until  
  
morning at least."  
  
The sun was just starting to peek over the eastern horizon when  
  
Duncan passed through the palace gates. He paused there for a moment,  
  
looking back upon the massive crystal structure that had been his home  
  
for so long and wondered briefly if he would ever walk in its halls ever  
  
again. Grimacing at how morose his thoughts were becoming, he turned  
  
and resumed his trek.  
  
Even with an efficient public transportation system, it still took  
  
a good deal of time to make it to the outskirts of the city. It was  
  
almost eight o'clock when he finally reached his goal -- a small  
  
nightclub called simply "Joe's". His old Watcher friend had started the  
  
place shortly before the city had been transformed into Crystal Tokyo,  
  
and Duncan had managed to keep it going all during the intervening  
  
centuries as a tribute to him. He also kept a small apartment ready  
  
above it, for those times when he and Lita wanted to get away from the  
  
palace for a short while. And for emergencies such as these times.  
  
He was just about to the back entrance when he felt a very familiar  
  
sensation ripple through his being. His hand went automatically under  
  
his jacket to his sword while he gazed warily about the alley, looking  
  
for the Immortal he sensed. He saw a shape detach itself from the  
  
shadows there and he dropped his bag, bringing the katana out and into  
  
a ready position. "I am Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod."  
  
"I know it's the Gathering, MacLeod, but you don't need the blade,"  
  
the other Immortal said, stepping out into the light. Marcus Kane  
  
grinned slightly. "Not yet, anyway."  
  
Duncan relaxed slightly, but he still kept the katana out. "I  
  
didn't know you had gotten back into town, Kane."  
  
"I think most of us are here by now," Kane observed lightly.  
  
"Except for one or two stragglers. I just got in during the night, and  
  
was challenged right away."  
  
Duncan immediately recalled the Quickening he had observed from  
  
the palace. "So that was you," he observed, bending down to pick up  
  
the travel bag. "Anyone I know?" he asked as casually as he could.  
  
Kane shrugged. "I don't think so. At least, I don't recall  
  
meeting her before. But not that I think about it, her fighting style  
  
was similar to Amanda's. She might have been one of her students."  
  
He took a wistful look at the palace in the distance. "Ironic that  
  
the Gathering would take place here, isn't it?"  
  
A wry expression came across Duncan's face. "I had the same  
  
thought."  
  
"Figures," Kane replied. "You're always a bit too much on the  
  
introspective side."  
  
"I'm not thinking that deeply about it," Duncan said defensively.  
  
"The only philosophical thought I've had lately is that I hope I don't  
  
face a friend at the end."  
  
Kane raised an eyebrow. "Better a friend than an enemy."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"If you're facing a friend in the last fight, at least you're sure  
  
your opponent is worthy of the Prize. On the other hand, if you're  
  
facing an enemy and he happens to defeat you..." Kane shook himself.  
  
"That's not a thought I'd like to take to the grave."  
  
"I guess I can see your point."  
  
Kane frowned. "Enough of this. We're both getting too morbid for  
  
our own good. How about we go inside this club of yours and I buy you  
  
a drink."  
  
"It's a bit early, but what the hell. I'd rather think about the  
  
good times than what may lie ahead." Duncan started for the door and  
  
then paused. "Speaking of reminiscing... You might want to pay  
  
Serenity and the others a visit before things get too far along."  
  
Kane hesitated before he answered. "I'm not too sure about  
  
that, MacLeod. There's an awful lot of water under those particular  
  
bridges. Especially since they learned about my past."  
  
Duncan leveled a steady gaze at the older Immortal. "Kane, when  
  
are you going to get it through your thick head that they've forgiven  
  
you for the past? And that's not just because you were a big help  
  
during the Nemesis War. Trust me, they'd all like to see you again."  
  
He paused slightly and then smiled mischievously. "Except for Raye,  
  
that is."  
  
Kane started slightly. "Huh?"  
  
"You remember... that little 'incident' shortly after the  
  
Nemesis War?"  
  
"Wait a minute..." Kane sputtered. "You mean that she only holds a  
  
grudge over *that*??" After MacLeod shrugged he added, "Over a  
  
centuries old practical joke?!? A prank?!?"  
  
"Yeah, but you turned her hair a very wicked shade of green,"  
  
Duncan reminded him, smiling broadly now. With that, he slapped his  
  
friend heartily on the shoulder before venturing inside.  
  
Kane stood there staring at the doorway for several moments.  
  
"Great," he observed sardonically. "I'm going to start off the  
  
Gathering as a charcoal briquette." Shaking his head, he started  
  
to follow the Highlander inside. "Hey, MacLeod," he called after him,  
  
"how's the family?"  
  
The sun had just set on Crystal Tokyo when Lita heard a knock on  
  
her door. She was still on the balcony, where she had remained all  
  
day and would likely remain through the night as well. She wasn't in  
  
the mood for company this night, but she also didn't want to be overtly  
  
rude either. Besides, there was also the chance that this could be  
  
important. "Come in," she called.  
  
The door opened and allowed Neo-Queen Serenity to enter. Lita  
  
stiffened, alarmed. She belatedly realized that she should have  
  
informed her about the Gathering, but her mind had been on other things  
  
the entire day. "Serenity, I..."  
  
"Lita, relax," the co-ruler of Crystal Tokyo said immediately.  
  
Moving quickly, she joined her friend out on the balcony. "I know this  
  
is a hard time for you."  
  
"You know..?" She shouldn't be surprised, Lita told herself, but  
  
she still felt a slight sense of shock.  
  
Serenity nodded. "Yes, I know. The Gathering has begun."  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
Serenity smiled. "Do you really need to ask after all these  
  
years?"  
  
"I supposed not," Lita responded, smiling slightly herself.  
  
"I wasn't the only one to figure it out," Serenity continued. "Amy  
  
came to that conclusion one her own, but Artemis was aware of it as well."  
  
In response to the look on Lita's face she added, "He still has  
  
connections among the Watchers."  
  
"I'd forgotten," Lita said. She took a brief glance at the city.  
  
All seemed peaceful at the moment, but she knew that this was an  
  
illusion. One that could be shattered at any moment.  
  
"Raye and Mina knew that something was up, but weren't quite sure  
  
just what was going on, Serenity noted. "But once everyone did know,  
  
there was a spirited discussion on what to do about it." She paused  
  
momentarily before continuing, "In the end, it was decided that there  
  
was really nothing we could do. We've got other friends among the  
  
Immortals besides Duncan, so how could we in good conscience support  
  
Duncan at their expense?"  
  
"That's about what Duncan said earlier. Before he left that is,"  
  
Lita said.  
  
Serenity frowned. She had known that Duncan had left the palace,  
  
but... "From the sound of your voice, he's not expected back soon."  
  
"He's gone for the duration of the Gathering, Serenity," Lita  
  
replied. "This way, he feels we won't be as tempted to help him."  
  
"That sounds like Duncan," the Neo-Queen observed.  
  
"Yeah, like Methos always said, he's too much of a Boy Scout for  
  
his own good," Lita said sardonically. "I..." She paused and felt  
  
her heart skip a beat as she heard a faint sound in the distance.  
  
The distinctive sound of clashing steel blades.  
  
Serenity immediately moved closer and embraced her, trying her best  
  
to comfort her friend wordlessly. She understood the feelings that  
  
were overwhelming Lita at the moment, for she could well imagine her  
  
own feelings if Endymion found himself in a similar situation. She  
  
wished she could do something more substantial to help, but Duncan had  
  
made it abundantly clear during the centuries they had known him --  
  
there could be no outside help in these battles. He must face the  
  
coming struggle alone.  
  
But there was one small way she could help, even if she didn't know  
  
how much of a difference it would make. In her thoughts, a silent prayer  
  
went out, one that was echoed by not only the woman standing next to her,  
  
but by several others within the palace as well.  
  
'I know there can be only one. But please, for the sake of my  
  
friend, let that one be Duncan MacLeod.  
  
'The Highlander.'  
  
End.  
  
Notes:  
  
Comments, critiques and questions are welcome. Just email me at  
  
Soton@aol.com.  
  
Thanks to Naoko Takeuchi and to the creators of "Highlander",  
  
for creating their respective genres. And for being gracious enough  
  
not to sue me for playing in their sandbox. (As it were.)  
  
Additional thanks go out to my prereader, Captain S Pegasi, for  
  
her diligence in keeping me straight with the "Highlander" backstory,  
  
and for her patience with my lack of progress in getting each part  
  
finished.  
  
And a special thanks to you, the reader, for enduring those  
  
interminable delays.  
  
Well, there you have it, the fanfic I start first (well before I  
  
thought of the Sailor Trek saga) is finally complete. My only real  
  
regret is that it took so long for me to finish it. With any luck,  
  
I'll be able to elude this problem with my upcoming stories. And  
  
considering the number of stories I have in development, I'm praying  
  
fervently that this is so.  
  
  
  
Upcoming stories:  
  
Highlander Moon 2: Endings and Beginnings. -- It's D-Day against  
  
the Negaverse, but not just for the Sailor Scouts. Marcus Kane is  
  
determined to face Beryl himself and have his own revenge upon her.  
  
Only his grudge goes far deeper than being used as a pawn by Beryl  
  
and Malachite... Indeed, it goes as far back as the Silver Millennium  
  
itself.  
  
The Scout and the Scot - a followup story to the events of  
  
"Sailor Trek DS9". 


End file.
